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Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s crucial meeting with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, where the two leaders are expected to “reset” bilateral ties, he is also slated to have meetings with the leaders of Germany, Italy and Ukraine on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Canada's Kananaskis.
However, Modi will not get an opportunity to discuss the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), which is in the works, with Donald Trump as the US President left the G7 Summit early because of the unfolding tensions in West Asia. New Delhi was hopeful of a Modi-Trump meeting on the sidelines of the Summit, their first since February when the Indian PM had travelled to Washington to meet Trump weeks after the inauguration of the latter’s presidency.
It was also to be their first meeting after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor that India had launched against terror infrastructure in Pakistan. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he mediated between India and Pakistan to defuse the crisis, and that he used trade as a negotiating tool to clinch a peace deal. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has consistently disputed these claims.
A Modi-Trump meeting was crucial in the context of the two sides trying to conclude the BTA ahead of the July 9 deadline when higher US tariffs take effect. India isn’t a member of the G7. Carney invited Modi to attend the Summit given India’s size and importance as a major developing economy.
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Trump held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Summit but failed to reach an agreement on a trade package. The US President also met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and signed a document as a follow-up on the trade framework agreed in May.
Modi landed in Calgary on Tuesday morning (IST), his first visit to Canada in over a decade. He will take part in the G7 Outreach Summit Session and hold bilateral meetings. “Landed in Calgary, Canada, to take part in the G7 Summit. Will be meeting various leaders at the Summit and sharing my thoughts on important global issues. Will also be emphasising the priorities of the Global South,” Modi said in a post on X on Tuesday morning. Modi is on a four-day tour to Cyprus, Canada and Croatia.
"The PM will be participating in G7 discussions on the future of energy security, including diversification, technology, infrastructure and investment, to ensure access and affordability in a changing world. The PM will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X. Other issues likely to be discussed at the G7 Outreach Summit and during the PM’s bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni include the situation in West Asia, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and ensuring the supply of critical minerals. According to government sources, a meeting is also planned with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President.
The Kananaskis gathering on June 16-17 is Modi’s 6th consecutive participation in the G7 Summit. The PM is also set to raise the issue of terrorism and seek support of G7 member countries in the context of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22.
Carney's invitation to Modi to attend the Summit signalled the new Canadian government's intent to repair ties with New Delhi that plummeted to an all-time low over the killing of pro-Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The two sides are expected to announce a new initiative to combat cross-border crimes.
