By Steve Holland, Bo Erickson and Sakshi Dayal
EVIAN, France, June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had held a "very good" conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G7 summit in France and that their two countries were working on trade deals.
Trump called Modi a "tough negotiator," and told reporters that he would be going to India "sometime in the future".
India has been pressing the United States for months for a Trump trip, potentially as part of a meeting including Japan and Australia.
The two leaders' meeting is their first since February 2025, when Modi visited Washington within weeks of Trump returning to the White House, and the two sides agreed to resolve their differences over trade and tariffs.
Ties, however, have since deteriorated, with Washington imposing high tariffs on Indian goods, punishing New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil, and engaging closely with India's arch-rival Pakistan.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India last month seeking to repair ties, but the killing of three Indian sailors in attacks on commercial ships by the U.S. Navy in the Gulf has roiled relations again.
Modi told Trump, in the presence of reporters, that the safety of Indian seafarers working in the Strait of Hormuz region was of "utmost importance" to New Delhi.
MODI WANTS IRAN DEAL TO INCLUDE SAFETY OF SAILORS
"You are aware that hundreds of thousands of Indian seafarers are working across the world, performing their duties along international maritime trade routes — including the Strait of Hormuz — and their safety is of utmost importance to us," Modi said.
"You have made tremendous efforts to reach this understanding, and I am confident that the issue of seafarers will receive the highest priority during the implementation of this agreement," Modi said, referring to the U.S. peace agreement with Iran.
Asked by reporters if he shared his condolences on the deaths of the Indian sailors, Trump said: "It's a rough profession, there's no question about it, and we work together on it ... We love all of those people, they're great people."
Trump also said the United States would defend India.
"If they were attacked, we would be there to help them," Trump said, when asked about the U.S.-India defense relationship.
"If anybody attacks that man, we're going to be there," Trump said, referencing Modi. "Now, if there's a new leader, I'm not sure about it."
(Reporting by Steve Holland in France, and Bo Erickson, Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson, and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington, and Sakshi Dayal in New Delhi; Writing by YP Rajesh; editing by Michelle Nichols, Caitlin Webber and Gareth Jones)
