Trump says trade deals with India soon to be reached

US President Donald Trump has hailed US-India relations during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.

The meeting with Modi came at a choppy moment in the US-India relationship.

On June 10, 3 Indian sailors were killed in a US military strike on a tanker in the Gulf of Oman in the midst of the American blockade targeting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Modi alluded to the incident with the sailors at their meeting, saying the safety of Indian mariners "is of utmost importance to us."

On the issue of trade, Trump said the US is very close to reaching a deal with India. And he lavished praise on Modi.

"He is a very tough negotiator, one of the toughest actually," said Trump.  

"So you look at this man, I'll give you a lesson. He is the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice. He's like an angel. But actually, he's as tough as...he is a killer. He is a killer."