Handshake, no hug at G7. Can today's Modi-Trump meet reset strained ties?
A missing gesture is often a great indicator of ties between leaders. Yesterday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came face-to-face with US President Donald Trump
A missing gesture is often a great indicator of ties between leaders. Yesterday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came face-to-face with US President Donald Trump at the G7 Summit after 16 months, the trademark bear hug was missing, and so was the warmth that had defined the personal rapport between the two previously. Instead, there was a formal handshake, with Trump also seen patting his "friend" PM Modi on his arm. Even during the group photo session earlier, there was no visible eye contact or exchange of greetings. Overall, there were ample signs of a relationship under strain. Read Full Story However, hopes of a reset in ties remain, with Modi and Trump set for their first face-to-face bilateral meeting since February 2025 on Wednesday. PM Modi was among the first world leaders to meet Trump after his election victory. Since then, ties have been upended as an unpredictable Trump slapped punitive tariffs on India, cosied up to Pakistan, and enforced immigration policies that have unfairly affected Indian students and workers in the US. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers a hand to US President Donald Trump during a family photo at G7 (Reuters) PM MODI MEETS TRUMP AT G7 SUMMIT A much-anticipated trade deal has also remained elusive. More recently, the deaths of three Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman in US strikes have dealt a blow to any hope of a recalibration in ties that was starting to stabilise with the May visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
It was against this backdrop that PM Modi and Trump came face-to-face on Tuesday at the G7 Summit in France. However, more than the lack of hugs or warmth, PM Modi's stinging remarks highlighted the strain in the India-US ties. With Trump beside him, PM Modi underlined that the world today "suffers from a shortage of trust" and the "future of our partnerships depends on rebuilding this trust". "The world is not suffering from a deficit of resources; it is suffering from a deficit of trust," PM Modi said. Without explicitly referring to the deaths of Indian sailors, PM Modi flagged that the US-Iran conflict had cost Indian lives, and countries must ensure the safety of maritime routes and the lives of seafarers. Here again, the context of PM Modi's speech was missing as he didn't name any particular country. However, the remarks require little explaining for whom it was intended. What further embodied the growing rift was the US's sudden move to drop 'Indo' from the name of its largest military command - the US Indo-Pacific Command. Moreover, the map used by the US to make the announcement showed POK as part of Pakistan. Interestingly, it was during Trump's first term that the command was renamed as Indo-Pacific Command. It was then seen as a sign of the growing importance of India to the US.
The BriefWire