Lara Zijl 
United States President Donald Trump has promised to visit India “sometime in the future”, in a move that signals a thaw in relations between the two countries after a strained period.
Speaking during a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit in France, Trump said the two nations were close to finalising a trade deal. He described Modi as a “tough negotiator” and pledged to travel to the country soon.
Ties between the two countries had come under pressure after Washington announced plans to impose tariffs on India last year, and were further complicated by the recent deaths of three Indian sailors. The sailors were killed in the Gulf of Oman when the US military struck a tanker it accused of breaching its blockade on Iranian ports.
Modi is understood to have raised the safety of Indian seafarers working in the Strait of Hormuz during the talks. The pair also discussed efforts to reach a trade agreement, with officials due to meet in Delhi next week to finalise the details.
Asked about the defence relationship between the two nations, Trump said America would help India if it were attacked. India imports roughly 90 per cent of its oil and has been significantly affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies normally pass.
The meeting marked a notable shift in tone from an earlier, frostier encounter between the two leaders. The original developments were reported by BBC News.
