New Delhi: In their first face-to-face meeting after 16 months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the safety of Indian seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz and praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts to restore peace in West Asia, even as Trump responded to a reporter’s question about condolences for the families of slain Indian sailors by saying it is “a rough profession”.The meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France’s Evian came days after India twice summoned the US chargé d’affaires over American attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf that killed three Indian sailors. It also took place on the same day that Washington announced it was dropping “Indo” from the name of its principal military command in Asia, reversing a move long viewed in India as recognition of its growing strategic importance.‘Has been happening throughout time’: Trump on seafarers’ deathsIn his prepared remarks before the media, Modi praised Trump for the progress made towards peace in West Asia and said his efforts had “rekindled” hope for peace and stability in the region.Referring to Indian sailors working on maritime trade routes, including through the Strait of Hormuz, Modi said their safety was of “utmost importance” and expressed confidence that the issue of seafarers would receive the “highest priority” when the agreement between Washington and Tehran is implemented.Earlier this month, India twice summoned the acting head of the US mission after American military action against commercial vessels in the Gulf led to the deaths of three Indian sailors. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar later conveyed India’s “strong protest” directly to secretary of state Marco Rubio.Washington subsequently defended the attacks. In its account of the Rubio-Jaishankar conversation, the state department made no mention of India’s protest and instead stressed that violations of the US blockade on Iranian oil would not be tolerated.The MEA’s account of the bilateral talks also highlighted Modi’s appreciation for Trump’s efforts to end the conflict in West Asia and his emphasis on freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz. Like Modi’s public remarks, the readout made no reference to the deaths of Indian sailors in recent US military actions or to India’s diplomatic protests over the attacks.The issue surfaced more explicitly when Trump was asked whether he had any words for the families of Indian sailors killed in the recent US strikes.Trump replied: “Yeah, I do”. But, then he went on to describe seafaring as “a rough profession”. He added that the US and India “work together on it”, but noted that “this has been happening throughout time”.Trump fields all questions, silence from ModiThe public interaction that followed offered few indications that the tensions of the past year had been discussed.No questions were directed at Modi, who confined himself to prepared remarks. Trump answered all questions from reporters, ranging from Ukraine and Iran to artificial intelligence and domestic US politics.Opening the meeting, Trump referred to an upcoming “G2” before mentioning the G20 summit, an apparent reference to his forthcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The remark came at a time when Washington has been pursuing renewed engagement with Beijing even as questions have emerged in India about its place in current US strategic thinking.Those questions have only intensified with the administration’s decision to restore the name US Pacific Command with an announcement earlier in the day.The decision to rename the command as the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2018 was not only projected by the Indian government as a sign of New Delhi’s place at the high-table but had also coincided with the revival of the Quad grouping comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia in Trump’s first term.However, no reporter at the media interaction asked about the Command’s renaming.Nor did Trump engage with a question about the future of the Quad.Trump also appeared dismissive of suggestions that recent developments had created friction in the relationship.‘Like an angel’: Trump on ModiAsked how he would reassure Indians after some of his administration’s decisions had caused concern in India, Trump replied: “I don’t know where there might have been trouble. I don’t think so.”The answer came despite ongoing disagreements that have emerged over the last one-and-a-half years over the highest US tariffs imposed on Indian imports, including punitive tariffs for buying Russian oil and Trump’s repeated claims of having brokered last year’s India-Pakistan ceasefire after their military clashes.Incidentally, Trump also returned to a claim he has made repeatedly in recent months – that he has “ended eight wars” – in response to a question about the Ukraine war, sitting next to Modi.He did not list them during the interaction, but he has previously cited the India-Pakistan military confrontation among the conflicts in which he says his intervention helped bring about de-escalation, a characterisation New Delhi has rejected.The US president nevertheless repeatedly emphasised his personal rapport with Modi.He said the two countries were “very close” to a trade agreement and described Modi as one of the toughest negotiators he had encountered, joking that the Indian prime minister looked “like an angel” but was “a killer” at the negotiating table.The MEA readout added that the two leaders noted progress in negotiations for an interim trade agreement and directed officials to work towards an early conclusion of a deal, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer expected in India next week.Later, when asked about defence ties, Trump personalised the relationship further.He said he was less certain about what would happen under a different Indian leader, saying that if India were attacked while Modi remained prime minister, the US would help.The press conference ended with Trump saying that he and Modi “couldn’t be closer”. Modi smiled and laughed in response and reached out to hold Trump’s hand briefly.