INDIA PERSPECTIVE

New Delhi approaches the G7 as a double opportunity: to argue for de-escalation in the Middle East and to seal, at last, a trade rapprochement with Washington. Narendra Modi begins a France-Slovakia tour including the Évian summit and the VivaTech show in Nice, where Indian flags adorn the city to welcome the Prime Minister. For India, this G7 is first an opportunity to argue for Middle East de-escalation, a region on which its energy supplies, part of its maritime trade and the safety of thousands of Indian sailors depend — a stake made acute by the recent deaths of three Indian nationals in American strikes, which caused diplomatic unease with Washington. But the angle dominating coverage is the Modi-Trump meeting, confirmed by the White House for Wednesday on the summit's sidelines: it will be the first face-to-face between the two men since February 2025. Talks will focus above all on the India-US trade deal, negotiated 'intensively for a year,' even if a final text is not expected during the summit — US officials cite 'in-depth technical discussions.' For New Delhi, the summit condenses its priorities: making its voice heard on energy stability, consolidating the strategic partnership with Paris, and turning a year of trade negotiations with Washington into a political gesture. India, invited but not a member, thus plays the card of the indispensable partner the Seven court as much as they heed.