India's cautious approach towards Trump rooted in standard VVIP protocol, unpredictable behaviour: Govt sources

New Delhi [India], August 24 (ANI): Government sources have clarified that diplomatic discussions around VVIP public appearances are standard protocol, responding to revelations by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor regarding a high-stakes bilateral interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
Government sources emphasised that setting ground rules for press access ahead of leader-level meetings is standard operating procedure. India had explicitly communicated its standard practice to US organisers prior to the meeting.
"Delegations, when meeting the US President, are wary about his unpredictable behaviour, as may be seen from his interactions with the President of South Africa, Ukraine, etc. Thus, the cautious approach by India," the sources said.
The statement follows revelations by Ambassador Gor on how a brief photo-op at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, abruptly turned into an unscripted, 45-minute press conference.
Ambassador Gor also revealed that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had just one specific request before the session: allow media presence for opening statements, but refrain from holding a full Q&A press conference.
The bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Trump took place on June 17 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, just days after three Indian mariners were killed following a US Navy attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, making public messaging exceptionally delicate.
Recalling the sequence of events, Gor stated that he held a brief conversation with Trump prior to the interaction.
"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 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 noted that he directly conveyed the preference outlined by the Indian side to Trump. "I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem," Gor recalled.
The interaction subsequently commenced with media personnel and technical crews present in the room. Gor noted that approximately 50 cameras were set up as PM Modi and Trump sat across from one another to deliver their preliminary statements.
"So the meeting starts, the press comes in, there must have been 50 cameras, the president is sitting here, the prime minister is sitting there, they both speak for a few minutes," he said.
Although President Trump initially agreed to the request ("sure, no problem"), he opened the floor to gathered reporters immediately after the leaders finished their opening remarks, asking, "Any questions?" The session instantly turned into a 45-minute press briefing with around 50 cameras operating as "everything was put on the table."
Despite the sudden format shift, the bilateral meeting proceeded with both leaders addressing real-time global and bilateral issues in front of the international press corps. (ANI)