US President Donald Trump is expected to discuss plans to demine the Strait of Hormuz with allies during next week’s Group of Seven summit in France, a senior US administration official said Saturday. Trump will travel to Evian, France, for the G7 summit on Monday, where he will also meet several world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
Trump to attend G-7 Summit
On Tuesday, Trump will have bilateral meetings with the Emir of Qatar and the President of the United Arab Emirates. He will also meet the President of Egypt and participate in a working lunch with G7 leaders and leaders from the Middle East.
What is on Trump’s agenda?
While there is no official word on the agenda of his meetings, Trump is likely to discuss efforts to wind down the Iran war with leaders from the Middle East.
The US President is also expected to discuss plans to demine the Strait of Hormuz with European allies. Britain and France, which are both members of the G7, have expressed interest in assisting with demining the critical waterway once the conflict is paused.
It was not immediately clear how many mines are in the strait that Iran has effectively controlled since shortly after the war began, virtually shutting down oil and natural gas shipments from the
Trump is also scheduled to attend a working session with Ukrainian President . Though no bilateral meeting was planned, officials said the two leaders could meet on the sidelines of the summit.
Trump planned to raise issues of shared importance with leaders at the summit, including economic growth and development, supply chain resilience, illegal migration and AI, one of the officials said. He also planned to work on boosting resilience in the supply chain for critical minerals needed for advanced technologies.
Trump-Modi meeting in France
On Saturday, the White House also confirmed that Trump will meet Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the on June 17.
Trade would be an issue discussed during President Donald Trump’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during next week’s gathering in France, but no agreement on a trade deal was expected at the summit, the official said.
India-US trade deal
“We know that Prime Minister Modi is quite ambitious about the role he sees for India, the importance of the ” the official told reporters. “We think a potential trade deal is part of that.”
Trump would insist on reaching “a very good deal,” the official said, adding: “We think a very good deal is possible. I don’t think we’ll close that deal at the G7.”
The senior US official said Trump and Modi would have a good opportunity to take stock of the trade talks, but further technical discussions would likely be needed to close a deal.
G-7 Summit in France
The Group of Seven summit, to be held June 15 to 17 in the French town of Evian-les-Bains, will bring together leaders from the world’s major economies, including Trump, alongside high-level delegations from other countries such as India.
Modi on Saturday left for a week-long visit to France and Slovakia, during which he will attend the G7 Summit and hold discussions with world leaders on a range of bilateral and global issues.
