NEW DELHI: India adopted a cautious approach and opted against holding a joint media interaction after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in France in June amid concerns over the US president’s “unpredictable behaviour”, government sources told news agency PTI on Monday.The sources said that foreign delegations meeting Trump are often “wary about his unpredictable behaviour as may be seen from his interactions with the presidents of South Africa and Ukraine”. “Thus, the cautious approach by India,” one of them said, according to PTI.PM Modi and Trump held bilateral talks on June 17 at Evian-les-Bains on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The meeting was seen as an effort to stabilise ties between India and the US after relations had come under strain over the preceding year.The clarification came after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said that New Delhi had informed the American side ahead of the meeting that it preferred not to have questions from the media.Gor, speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum on Sunday, had said India wanted media access without a full-fledged press conference. He recalled discussing the matter with Trump before the meeting.“We were behind the scenes, behind the stage, and at one point it was just the president and I, and he asked me, he goes, ‘What the Indians are going to raise?’ We went over some topics,” Gor said.“And he (Trump) said, ‘Do they have any asks?’ And the MEA had one ask. He said, and it was, ‘Let’s bring in the media, but let’s not do a full press conference,’” the ambassador added.Gor said he conveyed the preference to Trump. “I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, ‘Sure, no problem’,” he recalled.
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During the meeting on June 17, Trump also praised PM Modi, saying India would continue to play a major role globally as long as he remained in office. Asked about India’s role in West Asia, Trump said: “Yes, I do. I think India plays a big role in everything. As long as he (PM Narendra Modi) is the leader, India is going to play a big role.”Trump also praised PM Modi personally, saying: “So you look at this man. I’ll give you a lesson. He’s the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice. He’s like an angel. But actually, he’s tough, he’s a killer. He’s as tough as they come. But he looks so good. So he gets you by surprise,” the POTUS said.He added that the US would help India if it came under attack: “If they (India) are attacked and he’s (PM Modi) the leader, we would be there to help,” Trump said.
