Narendra Modi at G7 in France urges rebuilding global trust, equal partnerships for Global South, raises Indian seafarer deaths, and pushes trade talk…
(Photo Credit : Reuters)
1/10Guest at G7: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, as a guest nation — one of several invitees, including Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine, and the UAE. The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the European Union as a permanent member. Modi arrived after a two-day visit to Slovakia. The summit’s agenda centred on Russia’s war in Ukraine and a US deal to end its 107-day conflict with Iran.
(Photo Credit : Reuters)
2/10Trust, Not Resources: Addressing the outreach session titled “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity,” Modi — seated next to US President Donald Trump — told G7 leaders the world faces not a shortage of resources, but a shortage of trust. He called mutual trust the most important strategic asset today, warning that trade and technology were being misused for narrow national interests, deepening a global trust deficit. “The future of our partnerships depends on rebuilding this trust,” he said.
(Photo Credit : Reuters)
3/10Dignity, Not Dependency: Modi urged world leaders to replace the donor-recipient model with equal partnerships rooted in dignity. He said the Global South seeks partnership, not merely support, and must be enabled to build for itself. He cited India-led initiatives — the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and the Global Biofuel Alliance — as examples of its “humanity first” approach, grounded in the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” meaning the world is one family.
(Photo Credit : Reuters)
4/10Sailors, Strait Safety: Modi called on all nations to secure maritime routes and protect seafarers, days after three Indian mariners were killed in US military strikes in the Gulf of Oman. The US Central Command said it struck the vessels Marivex on June 8, Settebello on June 9, and Jalveer on June 11, stating they attempted to violate its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Modi said disruptions to trade through the Strait of Hormuz — which carried one-fifth of global oil before the Iran war — had harmed the global economy and cost Indian lives.
(Photo Credit : Bloomberg)
5/10Handshake, No Hug: Modi and Trump shook hands on the summit sidelines ahead of their first bilateral meeting in over a year — but Modi’s trademark bear hug was absent. The restrained greeting reflected a relationship under pressure since India’s military confrontation with Pakistan in 2025 and Trump’s tariff measures on Indian goods. Their bilateral meeting on Wednesday is expected to be brief, with both sides likely to signal that the strained relationship — marked by tariff disputes, the Iran conflict, and Washington’s engagement with Pakistan — is stabilising.
(Photo Credit : Reuters)
6/10Trade Deal Push: Trade is expected to dominate Modi’s talks with Trump, as both sides work to finalise a bilateral trade agreement. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is expected to visit India later in June to advance negotiations. Modi raised the deaths of the three Indian crew members a day before the bilateral, underlining the political sensitivity around the US military strikes and India’s expectation of acknowledgement from Washington on the loss of its citizens.
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7/10India-Canada Reset: Modi met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines — their fourth meeting in under a year — and reviewed ties across trade, energy, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides confirmed progress in Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations, with a shared target to conclude them in 2026, and agreed to launch negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement to deepen defence cooperation. The bilateral also covered commercial arrangements on LNG, LPG, and metallurgical coal, and the establishment of Raisina Americas as a new dialogue platform.
(Photo Credit : Reuters)
8/10December Trade Target: Modi said he wants to conclude a trade deal with Canada before he visits the country later this year, while Carney said he wants it done by the G20 summit in Florida in mid-December. Carney, who aims to double Canada’s non-US trade within a decade following Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, noted that Modi wants to double Canada-India trade. The two sides acknowledged that bilateral ties hit their lowest point in 2023 following then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of an Indian link to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar — an allegation India denied.
(Photo Credit : Reuters)
9/10India-UK Momentum: Modi met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and reviewed bilateral ties following their reciprocal visits in 2024. The two leaders welcomed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, now in force, and noted plans by the University of Liverpool to establish a campus in Bengaluru, and by the Universities of York and Bristol to set up campuses in Mumbai. Modi thanked Starmer for the UK’s participation in New Delhi’s AI Impact Summit and welcomed progress under the Technology Security Initiative, including the launch of the India-UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory.
(Photo Credit : PTI)
10/10UAE and Beyond: Modi met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — their third meeting in 2026 — and discussed the West Asia situation and bilateral cooperation across technology, trade, energy, and defence. Both sides called for free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Modi invited the UAE president to the BRICS Summit in India later this year. On the summit sidelines, Modi also met the leaders of South Korea, Egypt, Japan, and Kenya, discussing trade, investment, and cooperation aligned with Global South priorities.