'Learn how to respond from Giorgia Meloni': Congress attacks PM Modi over Trump meeting

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Pawan Khera has on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to raise key issues during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit, including the deaths of Indian sailors, the one-sided US trade deal, and the Operation Sindoor ceasefire claims made by Trump.Khera said PM Modi should learn from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on how to respond with confidence."Narendra Modi does not want to learn from Indira Gandhi ji; at the very least, learn from Giorgia Meloni ji how to respond with eye-to-eye confidence," he said.

The deaths of Indian sailors

Three Indian sailors were killed when the US military struck the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman, accusing it of violating the US blockade on Iranian ports .

The victims were identified as Aditya Sharma, a cadet, Shivanand Chaurashiya, a fitter, and Patnala Suresh, a chief engineer .India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned US Charge d'Affaires Jason Meeks and lodged a "strong protest" over the deaths . In a statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India conveyed its "deepest concerns about the ongoing incidents of attacks" on vessels with Indian crew.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also raised the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Contrary to Khera’s statements, during the G7 meeting on June 17, PM Modi raised the issue directly, noting that hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals work on ships around the world. "Their safety is of utmost importance to us," PM Modi said.However, Trump's response was brief: "It's a tough profession. There's no question about it.

And we work together on it".

The Bilateral Trade Agreement

The India-US trade relationship has been a source of tension, with the Trump administration imposing steep tariffs on Indian exports, partly over New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil . Talks on a broader bilateral trade agreement have been ongoing, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor saying in early June that 99 per cent of the proposed interim agreement had been finalised.Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said both sides had finalised most elements of the first phase, with negotiations focused on a few minor issues .

A US trade delegation led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch was in New Delhi from June 2-4 for talks.During the G7 meeting, Trump said a new deal was "very close" and described Modi as a "tough" negotiator . However, Khera alleged that Modi did not push back on the one-sided nature of the deal . Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri later said the trade agreement was a key priority in the meeting, as it had "created some kind of uncertainty in the past year or so".

Operation Sindoor ceasefire claims

Operation Sindoor was India's cross-border military response to an attack at the Pahalgam tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed at least 26 people . India blamed Pakistan for the attack, which Islamabad denied.India launched "Operation Sindoor" on May 7, targeting sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded with "Operation Bunyanun Marsoos" (Iron Wall), targeting military sites in Indian-administered Kashmir and inside mainland India.After four days of aerial attacks, Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10 . India has maintained that the cessation of hostilities was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that India had made it clear to every nation, including the US, that if Pakistan wanted the firing to stop, they had to convey it to India's general.The issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism did not figure in the official readout of the PM Modi-Trump meeting .

Misri said the format of such engagements did not always permit a detailed discussion on every issue, adding that India's concerns on cross-border terrorism were "well known to our American partners".

Trump on BRICS, India's response

Trump has repeatedly criticised the BRICS grouping, calling it an "attack" on the US dollar and threatening additional tariffs on member countries, including India . He has claimed his tariff threats forced countries to withdraw from the bloc, declaring "BRICS is dead".India, which holds the BRICS chairmanship in 2026, has taken a more restrained position. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said last year that India had "no plans" for a BRICS currency, and Jaishankar has emphasised that de-dollarisation is not on India's agenda.During the G7 meeting, Khera alleged that Trump spoke about the "weakening of BRICS" but PM Modi could not respond . However, Misri later indicated that the leaders focused on urgent issues, particularly the trade agreement, rather than a detailed discussion on every topic.