US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held summit talks at the White House in February last year. The two leaders are now expected to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit, scheduled for June 15-17. [Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held summit talks at the White House in February last year. The two leaders are now expected to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit, scheduled for June 15-17. [Getty Images]

US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit, scheduled for June 15-17.

Bloomberg and Reuters reported Thursday, citing Indian officials and other sources, that the two leaders are considering a separate meeting during the G7 summit in the French resort town of Évian-les-Bains.

Trump is set to travel to France immediately after a UFC world championship bout at the White House on Sunday, held as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. Modi will arrive in France on Saturday for the G7 summit and is scheduled to travel to Slovakia once the event concludes.

The two sides plan to use the meeting to discuss trade and energy cooperation as the main agenda items.

Indian officials said Modi is expected to raise bilateral trade issues and the H-1B visa program with Trump, adding that energy cooperation — including arrangements involving Venezuela — could also be on the table.

The Financial Times noted that if the meeting takes place, it would bring the US and India back to the negotiating table after tensions flared between the two countries following the India-Pakistan armed conflict in May last year.

After India and Pakistan agreed to halt airstrikes against each other, Trump claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire and asked Modi to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Modi effectively rebuffed the request, saying the agreement between India and Pakistan had nothing to do with any third-party mediation. Trump subsequently announced a 50 percent reciprocal tariff on India, prompting speculation that the move was retaliation for Modi's refusal to back his Nobel bid.

The two countries later struggled through difficult trade negotiations before reaching a tentative agreement in February to lower the reciprocal tariff to 18 percent. A trade deal has remained on hold since, after the US Supreme Court struck down the reciprocal tariffs and a Section 301 trade investigation was launched.

Analysts say the atmosphere at any such meeting could still be tense. US Central Command, which is conducting military operations against Iran, said Wednesday local time that it had disabled a vessel attempting to transport oil from Iran. The ship, the Palau-flagged Setebelo, was reportedly targeted with precision fire on its engine room by US fighter jets after it failed to comply with military instructions.

India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the incident, saying 24 Indian crew members were aboard the vessel — 21 of whom have been rescued, while three remain missing. New Delhi summoned Jason Mix, the US chargé d'affaires in India, to lodge a formal complaint.


kate01@heraldcorp.com