At G7 summit, Modi calls for safe maritime routes, protection for seafarers

Daily Update

The safety of seafarers, who connect all nations through global maritime trade, is our responsibility,’ the prime minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for the protection of seafarers and the security of maritime trade routes during an outreach session at the G7 summit in France, where he addressed leaders including United States President Donald Trump, who was seated alongside him.

The G7 summit brings together the heads of France, England, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

We welcome the progress made in peace efforts in West Asia,” Modi said. “This conflict has caused loss of life and property in our friendly countries in West Asia.”

Modi said disruptions to maritime trade via the Strait of Hormuz had affected the global economy and that many Indian civilians had lost their lives.

“The safety of seafarers, who connect all nations via global maritime trade, is our responsibility,” he added. “We must ensure that sea routes remain safe, and seafarers can carry out their work without fear.”

Modi made the comments in the backdrop of a series of attacks by US forces on vessels in West Asia on which Indian seafarers had been travelling.

On June 10, three Indian seafarers were killed when the US military hit a Palau-flagged commercial tanker off the coast of Oman. Twenty-one members of the crew had been rescued.

A day later, 20 Indian seafarers on board another ship were evacuated after it was hit off the Omani coast.

On June 8, 24 Indian seafarers were rescued from a tanker Maribex after it was targeted by the US.

Speaking during a session on forging new partnerships and rebuilding international solidarity, Modi said the world was increasingly interconnected and that energy security, food security, health security, cybersecurity and economic prosperity were linked across boundaries.

“Today, the world does not suffer from a scarcity of resources, it suffers from a shortage of trust,” the prime minister said. “And the future of our partnerships depends on rebuilding this trust.”

Referring to the international order established after the world wars, he said systems created to promote peace, stability and prosperity had been based on trust, but that this trust had been eroded in recent years.

The Covid-19 [pandemic] has showed us how hollow the claims of trust and solidarity were,” Modi said.

He said India had long seen the world as one family and had based its international engagement on the principle of “sarvajana hitaya, sarvajana sukhaya,” meaning welfare and happiness for all.

“India believes: The true test of partnership is not what we build for others, but what we enable others to build for themselves,” said Modi.

The prime minister added that countries of the Global South had “great expectations” from the global community but underlined that they wanted to be partners in development rather than beneficiaries.

He called for a move beyond the donor-recipient model towards partnerships based on equality and dignity.

Modi concluded by saying India was willing to work with international partners to address these shared challenges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (June 16, 2026)

expressed concern over the impact of disruptions in maritime trade via the Strait of Hormuz on the global economy during the conflict in West Asia and said several Indian civilians lost their lives.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet, energy revenues, its defence-industrial sector and entities linked to disinformation efforts, the Canadian government said in a statement following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alongside the G7 in France.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. will soon be able to reimpose sanctions against Russian oil, at the G7 summit where leaders are seeking to rattle up pressure against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. G7 leaders agreed on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) to intensify pressure on Russia to end more than four years of war against Ukraine, with U.S. President Donald Trump says Moscow should “make a deal”.

The June 15 to 17 gathering in Evian-les-Bains, on the shores of Lake Geneva, ⁠brings together the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, beside the European Union.

G7 calls for ‘strong, coordinated response’ to Ebola outbreak

G7 leaders called on Tuesday (June 16) for a “strong and coordinated” response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the Red Cross warning the epidemic has yet to peak.

At a summit in France, the leaders of the group of seven industrialised nations called for a “strong and coordinated response to address the health security risks posed by the re-emerging outbreak of Ebola” in DRC and Uganda, according to a statement.

PM Modi meets Canadian counterpart, discusses ways to build stronger partnership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (June 16) met Canadian counterpart Mark Carney and discussed ways to build a stronger partnership powered by trade, energy, innovation, education and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains in eastern France.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the deaths of Indian seafarers in a US military strike during an address to G7 leaders, who included US President Donald Trump. The Prime Minister stressed on the human cost of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz while calling for the protection of maritime trade routes.

“We welcome the progress made in peace efforts in West Asia. This conflict has caused loss of life and property in our friendly countries in the region. Disruptions to maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz have adversely affected the global economy,” the PM said.