‘Standard practice’ followed, say officials on U.S. envoy remarks

What happened: competing claims on press-event “questions” at a Modi–Trump interaction

U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor made remarks alleging that India’s External Affairs Ministry requested that a press event during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump (on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France) should not include questions. Ambassador Sergio Gor also claimed that President Donald Trump later answered journalists’ questions for about 45 minutes, suggesting that the request was not followed when the interaction occurred.

Indian officials contested Ambassador Sergio Gor’s framing and described the matter as standard diplomatic/meeting protocol. Officials stated that the Indian side communicated that checking the arrangements—“modalities”—for leaders’ public appearances before VVIP meetings is normal practice.

Indian officials clarified the event-level outcome for the press interaction: questions from both U.S. and Indian press were directed at President Donald Trump, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not asked any questions.

Background and earlier position: normal “modalities” checks before VVIP public appearances

Diplomatic practice commonly includes pre-setting the format of leaders’ public appearances at high-profile meetings, including how journalists’ questions will be handled. Indian officials described the External Affairs Ministry’s communication as part of routine coordination to decide the “modalities” for leaders’ appearances before VVIP-level engagements.