Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday flagged the safety of seafarers to US President Donald Trump during their bilateral engagement on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, articulating the hope that their safety would receive the highest priority while implementing the peace deal with Iran.

The President once again claimed that he had stopped eight wars — this time in the presence of the Prime Minister when the two met on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in the afternoon. Although he did not refer to last year's India-Pakistan conflict, Trump has always counted this among his frequent public claims of stopping wars. India has categorically stated there was no third-party intervention.

Trump also made a passing reference to the “G2” — a US-China bilateral — that is coming up when Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the US in September for a reciprocal visit after Trump’s recent trip to Beijing.

Asked if he had any words of condolence for the grieving families of the seafarers who lost their lives when their merchant vessels were hit by the US armed forces in the Gulf of Oman last week, the President said: “Yes, I do.” He, however, went on to add that sailing has always been a rough profession.

“Yeah, I do. I heard about that. It’s a rough profession, no question about it. We work together on it (gesturing towards Modi). This has been happening throughout time…. We love all those people. They are great people,” Trump said in response to a direct question on whether he would offer condolences to the
bereaved families.

Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said on X: “He (Trump) has not only evaded the question, he implied that such risks will be there. Again missed a chance to express some regret and close the matter. He is unrepentant. Modi, however, should be applauded for raising the matter boldly and emphatically.”

Earlier in his opening remarks in front of the media, the Prime Minister stressed the need for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open, pointing out that it was vital to the global economy.

“We have always stressed the need to ensure freedom of navigation and we should work together for this. Lakhs of Indian seafarers are engaged in the maritime sector across the world, and their safety is of utmost importance to us. You (Trump) have worked hard for the peace deal and I am confident that the issue of seafarers will receive the highest priority while implementing the agreement,” Modi said.

About the state of the bilateral relationship, the Prime Minister recalled his last meeting with Trump in Washington following which, according to him, India-US ties had acquired a new pace and energy.

While the Washington meeting had provided a fresh impetus to the relationship, things began souring a couple of months later with Trump repeatedly claiming to have played the mediator between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and leveraging trade with the US to make both agree to a ceasefire.

Trump said in his opening remarks: “We are doing trade deals, a lot of things are happening between the United States and India…. The Prime Minister is building a lot in the United States, spending a lot of money in the United States. I appreciate that a lot. I just want to say he’s been my friend for a long time now and we’ve always had a great relationship and it’s great to be with you.”

On how close India and the US are to finalising the interim trade deal, Trump said: “Very close. We have been there for a while. He’s a tough negotiator. One of the toughest.... You look at this man…. He’s the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice, he’s like an angel. Actually, he’s as tough as he’s a killer. He’s as tough as they come but he looks so good. So, he gets you by surprise…. He’s a tough trader and he loves the Indian people but he also loves the USA…. We’ll be going to India sometime in the future.”

Asked if he expected India to play any role in West Asia, Trump replied: “Yeah, I do, I do.... I think India plays a big role in everything. As long as he’s the leader, India’s going to play a big role.”

Trump was responding to questions at the joint media interaction soon after their opening remarks. All the questions were directed at the President and Modi did not step in to chip in on questions relating to India-US ties.