Evian-les-Bains: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US president Donald Trump for bilateral talks in France on Wednesday, with discussions covering regional security, maritime stability and developments in West Asia.
The Indian Prime Minister is also set to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit at Evian-les-Bains in France, it has been reported.
The two leaders are likely to discuss several issues, the primary among them being ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
During his meeting with Trump, PM Modi commended the US president for his leadership efforts aimed at restoring peace in West Asia and underscored the importance of ensuring the free flow of global trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is vital for the global economy. India has consistently emphasised the importance of freedom of navigation, and we should work together on this issue. Hundreds of lakhs of seafarers are performing their duties across the world,
including in the Strait of Hormuz. The security of Indian seafarers is equally important,” PM Modi said, as reported by News18.
Trump responded to the Prime Minister’s remarks and said India has an important role to play in West Asia. He also expressed confidence in PM Modi’s leadership.
“India has a big role in West Asia as long as Prime Minister Modi is the
leader,” Trump said.
The US president also praised PM Modi’s contribution to strengthening economic ties between the two countries, highlighting India’s investments in the United States.
“Prime Minister Modi is building a lot in the United States. He is spending a lot of money in the US,” Trump said during the bilateral meeting in France.
The US president also underscored his personal rapport with the Indian Prime Minister, saying, “I just want to say he has been my friend for a long time. It’s great to be with you. Thank you very much.”
Earlier, during an address at the Summit, PM Modi had brought up the issue of the safety of Indian seafarers, with Trump by his side.
Three Indian seafarers were killed recently after the US Navy struck a commercial vessel off the Omani coast. New Delhi expressed extreme displeasure with the deaths of the innocent non-combatants and summoned the US envoy.
On Wednesday afternoon, Trump praised PM Modi, describing him as “calm, cool and a total killer”. Speaking at a working lunch attended by world leaders, Trump drew a contrast between himself and PM Modi in a light-hearted moment.
“Unlike PM Modi, who’s calm, cool and a total killer…I am not. Look at him,” Trump said, as reported by India Today.
Prime Minister Modi said he held productive talks with European Council president Antonio Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, highlighting the growing momentum in India-European Union relations.
Leyen said on Wednesday that the European Union and India are moving swiftly to implement commitments made after concluding what she described as the “mother of all trade deals”, with both sides aiming to sign the Free Trade Agreement by the end of this year.
In a message to Prime Minister Modi, Leyen said the EU and India would also accelerate work on an investment agreement, strengthen security and defence cooperation, and advance the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) to improve connectivity.