India's Modi, Trump likely to meet at G7, discuss trade, visas, source says
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- Modi is expected to hold bilateral talks with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France (June 15-17), with trade, energy cooperation, and H-1B visas leading the agenda, an Indian government source said.
- India's Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said trade talks are moving toward the first tranche of a bilateral agreement that could be concluded by mid-July, with India pushing for preferential tariff treatment in an interim deal.
- Washington has proposed an additional 12.5% tariff on Indian imports over alleged forced labor — a measure India has rejected; a second Indian source said talks on the additional tariff have not concluded and India is 'hopeful' of competitive rates.
- U.S.-India ties have been strained by existing U.S. tariffs on Indian goods and Trump's repeated claims — denied by India — that he intervened to end India's brief conflict with Pakistan last year.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India last month helped ease tensions, with both sides discussing trade, visas, maritime security, energy supplies, and the Middle East.
- H-1B visa tightening is on the agenda given its implications for thousands of Indian workers in the United States, the source said.
- Modi and Trump may also discuss potential energy cooperation involving the United States and Venezuela; Modi begins his five-day visit June 13 and will travel to Slovakia after the G7 meeting.
Why it matters: India and the U.S. are simultaneously negotiating a bilateral trade deal targeted for mid-July while managing a new 12.5% forced-labor tariff that India has rejected and a H-1B overhaul affecting thousands of Indian workers — making this G7 sideline a high-stakes calibration point for two governments trying to stabilize a relationship strained by tariffs and Trump's Pakistan-mediation claims.
