Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, according to senior White House officials. The meeting, confirmed on Saturday, is expected to include discussions on a potential trade deal, though officials indicated that a final agreement may not be reached during the summit itself.
Technical Discussions on Trade Deal
Senior US officials told ANI that while a trade deal is unlikely to be closed during the meeting, extensive technical discussions will take place. 'I think that the potential trade deal will come up. We signed a joint framework agreement earlier this year. We've been having quite intensive negotiations with the Indians over the past year. The United States had a team in India a few weeks ago,' an official stated.
The official added, 'We have free good conversations with them. I'll personally be traveling to India the following week to see if we can make further progress on the deal. The United States and India have never had a trade deal before. Our economies function very differently. There's a lot of data approaches in the Indian economy that make it difficult for our companies to do business.'
Leaders to Take Stock of Progress
Another official emphasized that the deal will not be finalized at the G7 summit. 'I don't think we'll close that deal at the G7. I think we have further technical discussions to accomplish, but I think that the leaders will have a good opportunity to touch base and take stock of where we are and how forward leaning they want to be in closing a deal in coming weeks.'
PM Modi's Visit to France and Slovakia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from New Delhi on Saturday for an official visit to France. He will participate in the G7 Summit and hold a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Additionally, Modi will pay a state visit to Slovakia, marking the first such visit by an Indian Prime Minister since Slovakia's independence.
At the invitation of President Macron, Modi's visit to France is scheduled from June 13 to 14, 2026, in Nice, and from June 16 to 19, 2026, in Evian and Paris.
Previous Trade Developments
Earlier on February 2, President Trump announced a trade deal between the United States and India, which included a reduction in tariffs from 25% to 18%. Trump also stated that India would purchase over $500 billion worth of US energy, technology, agricultural, coal, and other products. He further noted that PM Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead purchase more from the United States and potentially Venezuela.
