PM Modi-Trump meet highlights: ‘Our countries have great potential for cooperation’, says Zelensky after meeting PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France.

PM Modi-Trump Meet highlights: US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit and discussed the welfare of seafarers, defence relationships and trade deals, among others. PM Modi raised the issue of Indian seafarers with Trump and said he hoped that ensuring the safety of seafarers would be a key part of any agreement reached with Iran.

Trump said he would “be there for India” if it is ever attacked. However, he laid down a condition. He added that he would only help India if PM Modi is the leader. "Now if there's a new leader, I'm not sure about it."

Trump also spoke about Indian seafarers who lost their lives, saying he heard about that and is working on it. He added that it is a “rough profession.”

The US President also called PM Modi a “beautiful-looking man”, adding that he is one of the toughest negotiators. “He (PM Modi) is a very tough negotiator. He's one of the toughest, actually. He's the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice. He's like an angel. But, actually, he's as tough. He's as tough as they come. He looks so good. So he gets you by surprise. But there's few people like this. People say, 'He's such a nice man.' I say, 'He's very tough'... We'll be going to India sometime in the future.”

Prime Minister Modi also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday at the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France.

Taking to X, PM Modi said he reiterated that India will always be on the side of peace, "placing the values of humanity over everything else."

“Met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Evian. In recent times, India and Ukraine have been engaging extensively. This has been reflected in different areas of our cooperation. Our talks today were about reviewing different aspects of our cooperation,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

EU-India to sign ‘Free Trade Agreement’ by year-end

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the two countries will sign the “Free Trade Agreement” by the end of 2026. Her comments came after PM Modi held a trilateral meeting with Leyen and President of European Council Antonio Costa.

“Since we have concluded the mother of all trade deals, we have been moving fast to deliver on our commitments. We will sign the Free Trade Agreement by the end of the year. And accelerate work on an investment agreement. We will also step up security & defence cooperation,” she said in a post on X.

The 52nd G7 Summit 2026 is being held in the French spa town of Evian. Leaders from the UK, the US, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada and France gathered for the annual summit to discuss key issues, including the ongoing Ukraine war, the conflict in the Middle East, and other issues.

Along with G7 nations, representatives from India, Brazil, Kenya and South Korea were also invited to the key summit.

G7 Summit 2026 | All that has happened

On Wednesday, G7 leaders hailed the breakthrough deal finalised between the United States and Iran and reiterated its stance that Tehran can never have a nuclear weapon.

“We welcome the announcement of a deal between the United States and Iran, secured under the strong leadership of President Trump, with the support of mediating countries."

On artificial intelligence: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday called for closer cooperation between Europe and the United States on artificial intelligence, after US authorities required Anthropic to restrict access to its latest AI models over national security concerns.

"The US and EU need to be strong partners in AI," von der Leyen told G7 and technology leaders including Anthropic chief Dario Amodei in the French lakeside resort of Evian.

Leaders meet AI executives: G7 leaders met with tech CEOs including Anthropic PBC’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman Wednesday in Evian, France. French President Emmanuel Macron said he will push for European access to leading-edge models, according to a diplomat familiar with his plans, Bloomberg reported.

The leaders also called on tech firms to develop tools to ensure minors stay safe online amid concerns over the implications of the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

On Tuesday, the G7 nations announced unwavering support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

"We reaffirm our solidarity with the Ukrainian population suffering from attacks on their critical infrastructure and cultural heritage. We commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasize there is now a new momentum," reads the official declaration issued.

Along with this, the nations welcomed the announcement of the peace deal between the US and Iran, which will bring a pause in hostilities in the region and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The G7 leaders also called for an end to the violence in the occupied West Bank. Concern over North Korea's nuclear programme was also raised.

"We urge North Korea to resolve the abductions issue immediately. We reiterate the need to jointly address North Korea’s cryptocurrency thefts and cybercrimes," the statement added.

In addition to the statement on geopolitical issues, G7 and other leaders at the summit also vowed to tackle migrant smuggling, the fight against cancer, measures to tackle the Ebola outbreak and drug trafficking.