Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, their first in-person meeting in 16 months.

During the meeting, the US President said the two countries were very close to finalising the trade deal.

Trump described the Prime Minister as "a great friend of mine" and "a tough negotiator."  He said he also plans to visit India in the future. "Will be going to India sometime in the future," Trump said.

 "He's a very tough negotiator...You look at this man. I'll give you a lesson. He's the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice, like an angel. But actually, he's as tough as he is a killer. But he looks so good. So he gets you by surprise. But there are a few people like this. People say he's such a nice man. I said he's very tough. He's a tough trader, and he loves the Indian people," the US President said. 

"As long as I am President, they have a great friend in the White House," Trump said. "Everyone here loves India, and they have tremendous respect for this man." 

On the discussions at the summit, Trump said he had held productive conversations with several leaders, including Modi. "We had some great meetings in France... It's a G7. We have a G2 coming up, and then we have a G20 coming up," Trump said. "We had, in particular, some very good conversations with Prime Minister Modi of India. We're doing trade deals... A lot of things are happening between the United States and India."

Trump also highlighted growing economic engagement between the two countries. "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," he said.

Reaffirming his relationship with the Indian leader, Trump added: "But 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."

During the meeting, Modi praised Trump's role in efforts aimed at bringing peace to West Asia. "I commend you for your leadership on the progress in peace efforts in West Asia," the Prime Minister told the US President.

Published on: Jun 17, 2026 7:55 PM IST