India on Thursday confirmed it had received an invitation from US President Donald Trump to attend the forthcoming G-7 Summit.
“During the talks between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi on 2 June, Trump had extended an invitation to India to participate in the G-7 Summit and our Prime Minister had accepted it,” said Anurag Srivastava, India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a similar statement in Washington on Wednesday during the India Idea Summit.
“India is a rising US defence and security partner in the Indo-Pacific and globally," remarked Pompeo.
President Trump, during his talks with Modi in early June said he plans to “expand the ambit of the grouping beyond the existing membership, to include other important countries including India.” Reports indicate that Washington wants to organise an in-person summit in late August, though there was no formal announcement.
The Trump administration has indicated that it is “engaged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and with other G-7 governments about whether there is an appropriate role for Russia at the grouping.”