Modi and Trump Exchange Pleasantries at G7 Summit Amid Strained India-U.S. Relations

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Prime Minister Narenda Modi shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump before the plenary session at the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. | Photo Credit: AP Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump exchanged pleasantries and held a brief conversation on Tuesday at a gathering of G7 leaders, marking their first in-person encounter in 16 months amid continuing strain in bilateral ties. In Evian-les-Bains, the site of this year's summit of the powerful grouping, Mr. Modi and Mr. Trump shared a warm handshake followed by a short conversation. A full bilateral sit-down is slated for Wednesday (June 17, 2026) on the sidelines of the gathering. While details of their brief exchange were not known, the encounter sets the stage for their high-stakes talks. The two leaders last met in-person at the White House in February 2025, weeks after Mr. Trump’s second inauguration. Following U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India last month, the two sides were now looking at rebuilding the bilateral ties. The relations witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India–Pakistan military clashes last May. Over the next few months, the U.S. President repeatedly and publicly claimed that he had resolved the military conflict between the two neighbours and saved millions of lives as it was heading toward a full-scale war. New Delhi stoutly maintained that the cessation of the hostilities was A result of talks between India and Pakistan, and the US involvement had nothing to do with it. Washington's new immigration policy and its decision to increase the H1B visa fee also contributed to the slide in India-U.S. ties. However, both sides made efforts in the last few months to repair the ties and even moved forward to firm up a mutually beneficial trade deal soon. Last week, the relations came under fresh strain after t