No Reset at G7: Trump Was Trump, Modi Was Not Modi
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- Trump and Modi met at the G-7 summit in Evian, France, after a 16-month hiatus in bilateral engagements, against a backdrop of relations strained by the U.S. military killing three Indian sailors.
- Modi made only two substantive points — keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for trade and protecting Indian mariners in West Asia — but otherwise spent his remarks praising Trump's peace initiatives.
- Trump called Modi both an "angel" and a "killer" in negotiations, claimed credit for resolving eight conflicts including India-Pakistan, and conditioned U.S. defense of India on Modi remaining in power.
- The bilateral produced no movement on a trade deal, the Indo-Pacific strategy, the Quad, defense purchases, or the H-1B and student visa situation.
- Modi did not demand an apology or accountability for the three dead Indian sailors, and Trump offered no regret or empathy for them.
- Trump announced his next summit would be a G-2 with China, a framing that implicitly reduces the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific framework and the Quad for India.
Why it matters: For a partnership both governments have called consequential, the meeting exposed its fragility under Trump — no deliverables on trade, the Quad, or defense, while Modi declined to press for accountability for three dead sailors. Trump also signaled his next priority is a G-2 summit with China, not the Indo-Pacific framework India has staked its strategic relevance on.
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