PM Modi raised issue of safety of India sailors during recent meet with Trump: Govt to Lok Sabha

New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the issue of the safety of Indian maritime workers and sailors during his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in June, as well as at the G7 Summit Outreach Session the same month, the government told Parliament on Friday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written response to a query to the MEA, also said the PM had highlighted that the ongoing conflict in West Asia had disrupted global maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz and resulted in the loss of lives, including those of Indian seafarers.

The Ministry of External Affairs was asked whether the issue of safety of Indian maritime workers and sailors was raised following the killing of some Indian maritime workers in a US military strike in the Gulf of Oman during the last month, when Prime Minister Modi and the US President had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Paris in June.


Prime Minister Modi met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, on June 17.

"PM raised the issue of safety of Indian maritime workers and sailors, both during his bilateral meeting with President Trump and during his intervention at the G7 Summit Outreach Session on June 16, 2026," the MoS said.

He had also emphasised the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce through the Strait, while underscoring that the safety and security of seafarers who make a significant contribution to global maritime trade should remain a shared concern of the international community, Vardhan said.

The MEA was also asked whether any other issues relating to trade, energy security, defence cooperation, etc., were discussed in the said meeting.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and welcomed the progress made under the India-US COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology), including in the areas of defence, strategic technologies, energy and bilateral trade, Singh said.

"They noted with satisfaction the significant progress in negotiations towards an interim Bilateral Trade Agreement and directed their officials to work towards an early conclusion of a balanced, mutually beneficial and commercially meaningful agreement," he said.