‘If Modi is Leader, And India is Attacked, We Will Help’: Says Trump During Bi-Lateral Talks With PM Modi at G7 Summit

US President Donald Trump offered a strong public endorsement of India on Wednesday, stating that the United States would come to the country's aid if it came under attack while Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained in office. The remarks came during his meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, marking their first one-on-one meeting since Operation Sindoor in May 2025.

In their first meeting in 16 months at the French commune of Evian-les-Bains, Trump described his conversation with PM Modi as "very good" and signalled continued strategic cooperation between Washington and New Delhi.

"If Modi is the leader and India is attacked, we will be there to help them," Trump said with a chuckle.

Navigating Strained Diplomatic Ties

The high-profile meeting assumed significance as it came amid efforts by New Delhi and Washington to reset ties strained by tariff disputes, disagreements over Trump's claims of mediating the India-Pakistan conflict, and tighter US immigration measures on Indians. Relations were further tested by the recent deaths of three Indian sailors in American military strikes involving commercial vessels near Oman. Addressing reporters during the talks, Trump described his meeting with PM Modi as "very good" and underscored the closeness of the bilateral relationship.

"India and the US have a great relationship. We cannot be closer. Both he and I, and our nations. It really starts with the two of us. We cannot be any closer," he said.

The Shadow of Operation Sindoor

Trump's remarks came weeks after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Under the operation, Indian forces carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours lasted nearly 88 hours before both sides reached an understanding on May 10 to halt hostilities. India has repeatedly maintained that the ceasefire understanding was made between New Delhi and Islamabad and not by Trump.

Against this backdrop, Trump underscored his support for India and PM Modi. Referring to the Prime Minister, he said, "If anybody attacks that man, we're going to be there."

In a lighter vein, the US President added, "Now, if there's a new leader, I'm not sure," drawing laughter from those present.

Trump Praises Modi's Negotiating Skills

Trump also praised PM Modi's leadership and negotiating skills, describing him as a tough counterpart in trade discussions. "He's a tough trader," the US President said, while adding that India would continue to prosper under PM Modi. "As long as he is the leader, India is going to do very well."

Trump also expressed condolences over the deaths of three Indian sailors killed in recent US military strikes involving commercial vessels in the Gulf region. "I heard about that. It is a rough profession. We're working at it," he said when asked about the incident. The meeting marked PM Modi and Trump's first in-person interaction since February 2025, when the Prime Minister visited the White House shortly after Trump's return to office for a second term. It also came weeks after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India, during which both sides explored ways to strengthen the strategic partnership despite recent strains.

While differences persist on several issues, including the US's tariffs on India, Wednesday's meeting signalled a shared desire to stabilise ties and advance cooperation across key strategic and economic sectors.

Direct Transcripts from the Bilateral Talks

US President Donald Trump's Statement: "Trump: I think it's a great relationship, I can tell you this, without having a contract, we don't have a contract, you'd have to write a contract, but if they were attacked, we would be there to help them. How is that? Is that a good statement? Okay. Come here.

If anybody attacks that man, we're going to be there. Now if there's a new leader, I'm not sure about it. If there's a new leader, I don't know about that, but if they're attacked and he's the leader, we're going to be there to help. 

And we have, and I will say this, and everybody says it, I had a great meeting three weeks ago with President Xi of China, we have the strongest military in the world by far, and I built it in my first term, and we're using it in my second term, and they gave some of it away stupidly in Afghanistan, as you know, and they spent a lot on Ukraine, $350 billion, but we have the most powerful military in the world. You saw that with Venezuela, which was 48, think of it, 48 minutes, and now our relationship with Venezuela is great. We paid for the cost of the war 40 times, taking millions of barrels out.

Venezuela's benefiting, we're benefiting, Venezuela's benefiting, and then we go to Iran, and really in the first week, militarily, we defeated Iran. Nobody thought that could be done. Yeah, please. The group of people used to be the G8, now it's the G7. I don't know if that was a good deal or not, but it's a G7. And we have a G2 coming up, and then we have a G20 coming up.

You know what the G2 is, I think, most of you. But we had in particular some very good conversations with Prime Minister Modi, India, and we're doing trade deals. We're doing a lot of things. A lot of things are happening between the United States and India. The United States is doing the best we've ever done. We have over $19.2 trillion coming in, and we're building factories.

We're building everything. And the Prime Minister is building a lot in the United States. He's spending a lot of money in the United States, so we appreciate that job.

But I just want to say he's been my friend for a long time."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Statement:

"India has consistently emphasised the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and we should work together and place a particular emphasis on that. Mr. President, you are aware that across the world Indian seafarers and hundreds of thousands are working and performing their duties across global maritime trade routes including the Strait of Hormuz and their safety is of utmost importance to us. Mr. President, you have made tremendous efforts towards reaching this understanding and this agreement and I'm confident that the issue of seafarers will receive the highest priority during the implementation of this agreement.

Mr. President, once again, I deeply appreciate and I deeply commend your efforts in ensuring the restoration of peace and making efforts towards restoration of peace and stability in West Asia. Thank you. Thank you very much."
 

Also Read: 'Like an Angel' But 'As Tough as a Killer': Trump Praises PM Modi's Negotiating Skills in Bilateral Talks at G7 Summit