Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US President Donald Trump in a bilateral on the sidelines of the G-7 meeting in France on Wednesday.
This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since February last year in Washington and comes against the backdrop of concerns over the death of Indian mariners on commercial ships targeted by the US navy in the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting between Trump and Modi will also be the first face-to-face interaction since the India-US relationship hit a rough patch after Operation Sindoor and Washington’s decision to impose heavy tariffs on New Delhi.
In their meeting on Wednesday, the two leaders are expected to take stock of the entire gamut of bilateral ties, including the ongoing negotiations for the bilateral trade deal and steps being taken to boost defence cooperation.
The trade pact is expected to be an important step towards a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, as envisaged during PM Modi's visit to Washington DC in February last year.
Modi and Trump may also exchange views on pressing geopolitical issues, including energy security, the West Asia crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
