Modi-Trump Tête-à-Tête

In an interview on The Axios Show on June 20, 2026, US President Donald Trump, when asked to identify two international leaders he admired most, responded by naming Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was three days after Trump met Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evan on June 17. This bilateral summit was 15 months after Modi travelled to Washington in February 2025 for the summit at the White House.

Highlights of the Modi-Trump Summit by India’s Ministry of External Affairs included: Modi commended Trump’s efforts to end the West Asia and conflict and underlined the importance of maintaining freedom the Strait of Hormuz and safety of seafarers; both reviewed bilateral relations and welcomed progress in defence, strategic technologies, energy, and bilateral trade sectors – including negotiations towards an interim Bilateral Trade Agreement; both reaffirmed commitment to further strengthening Indo-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and advance cooperation.

According to BBC: Trump promised to visit India, close to both countries agreeing to the trade deal (interim or final?); Modi raised safety of Indian sailors passing Hormuz (not specific killing of Indian sailors); the trade deal was set back when US imposed new tariffs on countries (including India) not tackling forced labour (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c621glv9vnqo).

India’s Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal had been saying since mid-2025 that the Indo-US trade deal would be finalised soon, latest by November 2025. But we are still weeks (or months?) away from an interim deal despite India being the first initiate trade talks with Washington. Obviously, Trump wants to exert maximum pressure for a deal suiting US interests.

Delaying the trade deal/tariff threats facilitated US Navy (USN) vessels docking in Indian ports when Iran targeted USN logistics facilities in the Middle East. There is speculation that the US submarine that sank IRIS Dena was in Indian waters and trailed the Iranian frigate when it left Visakhapatnam port after participating in Exercise MILAN 2026 and the IFR hosted by the Indian Navy.

The US firing on three vessels carrying Indian crew and killing three Indians just a week before the Modi-Trump Summit, appears deliberate to pressure and test India’s response, Resultantly, EAM Jaishankar mentioned this to Marco Rubio only after public outrage that the issue was treated as routine. But Rubio put the blame on the vessels defying the US blockade. This, despite India having intercepted and seized three US-sanctioned oil tankers linked to Iran on February 6, 2026.

When a journalist asked Trump (in Modi’s presence) whether he felt sorry for the USN killing Indian sailors, Trump mocked the issue saying, “Yeah, I do. It’s a rough profession. This has been happening throughout time. I love all those people”

Modi remained silent – but a journo amusingly claimed Modi did not hug Trump since three Indian sailors were killed. Compare this to India removing barricades from the US Embassy at New Delhi in 2013 when US Marshals handcuffed and strip-cavity-searched an Indian diplomat in New York (https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/when-india-removed-barricades-from-the-us-embassy-and-why-that-moment-haunts-new-delhi-in-2026-2927604-2026-06-16).

In his opening remarks at the summit, Trump noted that Modi “is building a lot in the US. He’s spending a lot of money in the United States, and we appreciate that job.” But questioned on the US-India defence relationship, Trump said America would help India if they were attacked, and added, "If anybody attacks that man (Modi), we're going to be there... Now, if there's a new leader, I'm not sure about it”

These guff-chuff asinine comments of Trump must be examined in the following context: 

• What US help India needs if attacked?
• How will Trump help – same as after the Pahalgam massacre by Pakistan?
• Does the US has the guts to fight China directly – even fire at Chinese vessel?
• Doesn’t Trump want an India-China war, advancing economic and strategic interests, even if India faces destruction akin to Ukraine?
• Trump has been saying he doesn’t want to spoil the political career of Modi? Now saying he will support Modi and not sure if it is a new leader, is Trump signalling he has Modi in the bag, whatever the reason? (trade deal, tariffs, immigration, H-1B visa, Epstein?).
• Trump keeps claiming he stopped eight wars, including the short India-Pakistan conflict last year. Clearly Trump was playing Modi throughout the bilateral summit, notwithstanding indigenous media hyping it as reset of Indo-US relations. Trump also displayed his propensity of snubbing/backstabbing India. Post Operations ‘Sindoor’, the US catapulted Pakistan into the geopolitical higher plane, with Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir being wined and dined in the White House, Trump calling Munir his favourite Field Marshal, Pakistan mediating between the US and Iran, and JD Vance posing with Munir like long-lost conjoined twins. The US-Iran MoU bears the signature of the mediator – the signal is obvious.

On the eve of the G7 meeting, the US announced reverting the name of Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to PACOM (Pacific Command), as was the case in 2018.  Only fools won’t   acknowledge the term Indo-Pacific was India’s strategic leverage in Washington’s geopolitical construct – which stands wiped out.

The announcement was accompanied with displaying the area of responsibility of PACOM; the map of which showed Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) as a part of Pakistan.

So much for our diplomacy appeasing the US, mainly because wards of prominent Indian politicians and bureaucrats have/are studying in the US, and some are settled in the US. There have been unconfirmed reports of Modi and some other politicians trained by the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) as youngsters. But in 1994, Modi did visit ACYPL, as also in 2014 as prime minister (https://www.facebook.com/gkishanreddy/posts/20-years-ago-in-1994-sri-narendra-modi-prime-minister-of-india-visited-usa-on-th/373715909443108/).

Despite Modi’s slogans of This is Not the Era of War, and the media quoting X, Y, and Z wanting Modi to moderate the US-Iran peace deal, Pakistan has emerged as the World's Peacemaker — brokering peace between the US and Iran. For Trump, India appears a football despite India sacrificing its strategic autonomy. India can keep harping about Pakistan’s terrorism, low standard of living and protests in POK, while China, the US and UK strongly back Pakistan. The chest-thumping and hyperbole over India-EU FTA in India is deafening. But EU has delivered a silent kick to New Delhi with the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad calling for peaceful resolution of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K and Ukraine in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-rebukes-eu-pak-over-jk-reference-in-joint-statement/articleshow/131473780.cms).

Russia has warned India against blindly siding with anti-Iran forces. Modi’s tight embrace with Volodymyr Zelensky was also noticeable, especially considering when Modi visited Russia just before visiting Ukraine, Zelensky had passed very derogatory comments. Presently, the West is strongly backing Kiev to repeatedly target Moscow. With Ukraine's swarm attacks bypassing Russian air defences; Russia warns India's critical infrastructure (Gujarat's refineries to Mumbai's ports) are prime targets for a similar campaign. Will India take this seriously – with politicians like Defence Minster Rajnath Singh bellowing like Trump that Pakistan will face unprecedented and decisive action – just like Trump’s threats to Iran?

Signalling India, China again released a video of the Galwan Clash showing Indian soldiers taken prisoner by the PLA (https://www.facebook.com/100011543679207/videos/1211653302695338/?vh=e&fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=Pzjzz0mLEdJcfGJC#). This video clip of the Galwan clash in 2020 was first released by China in 2021. China also called the yet to be released Bollywood movie 'Battle of Galwan' a fictional self-imagination, which distorts facts

More comments by China can be expected after the movie is released on August 14, 2026. Doval’s recent meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the BRICS NSA Advisers' meeting in New Delhi was their umpteenth meeting to address the border issue. India says ties with China are normalising, while China has made it explicitly clear that the border issue must be kept separate from advancing bilateral relations.

The US-Iran peace negotiations are continuing. Marco Rubio is crying that Iran should not charge a toll for passage through the Straits of Hormuz but doesn’t acknowledge the US is to blame itself for this. Besides, why should Iran not charge a toll when vessels have been paying toll through Panama and Suez canals for ages. The hidden reason behind American insistence for IAEA inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities is to find out the exact location of Iran’s 600-kg uranium stockpile – together, at multiple locations, where? The IAEA inspectors would be duly briefed, may even include CIA and Mossad.

There are calls for de-Americanising India’s grand strategy– to engage the US as “partners”, not the US dictating India’s grand strategy; which has been happening over the years despite the propaganda denying it. How can this be affected?

The onus now rests on Modi to shed his US-obsession. Earlier, Modi had publicly declared he would show Lal Ankh (Red Eye) to China. Time has come now for him to show a Level-Eye to China and the US. This can best be done by hosting a Russia-India-China (RIC) Head of States Summit. Trump will no doubt holler blue murder from the rooftop of the White House. But a little resilience on India’s part will make TACO Trump climb down. Can Modi do this? Finally, Trump has temporarily waived off sanctions on Iranian oil till August 21 and Iran is keen to export oil to India. This is an ideal opportunity for India to build its oil reserves – will India do so or is too scared of annoying Trump and Netanyahu?

The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.