PM Modi-Macron meet to focus on defence, civil nuclear energy ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Nice, with defence, nuclear energy, technology and innovation partnerships high on the agenda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for France on Saturday morning, where he will hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen Paris and New Delhi’s cooperation across defence, civil nuclear energy, innovation, critical technologies and mobility sectors. The two sides are expected to announce a dozen outcomes spanning these sectors.

 

Modi’s talks with Macron will take place in Nice on June 13-14. He will then travel to Slovakia, making it the first visit by an Indian PM since 1993, when Czechoslovakia split to form the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The PM will be in Evian-les-Bains in France on June 16-17 to attend the Group of Seven (G7) meeting, and visit Paris on June 17-18. Macron visited India on February 17-19, 2026.

 

 

Modi will hold several bilateral meetings with leaders on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. A meeting between the PM and US President Donald Trump is likely, but yet to be confirmed by either side.

 

This will be the PM’s seventh official visit to France. It will be India’s 13th participation at the G7, and Modi’s seventh consecutive participation at the summit.

 

In Nice, Modi and Macron will inaugurate the Bharat Innovates event, where more than 120 Indian and French startups will participate. The two leaders are scheduled to attend the VivaTech Summit,-- Europe’s largest technology and startup event -- in Paris on June 18.

 

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials said the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India, (SHANTI) Act, would pave the way for Indian and French public and private sector to collaborate on small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs).

 

India and France signed a declaration of intent on cooperation in civil nuclear energy sector in February 2025. India plans to increase its nuclear power capacity from 8.78 Gw currently to 100 Gw by 2047.

 

The French side is also keen to sign a deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets under 'Make-in-India'. Indian officials said defence cooperation will be a key aspect of the PM's visit to France.

 

France is India’s third largest trading partner within the European Union (EU), with bilateral trade more than doubling in the last decade to $15.82 billion in 2025-26, and the India-EU trade deal is expected to help it grow further. Around 10,000 Indian students are currently pursing studies in France, and the two countries are working towards increasing this number to 30,000 by 2030 in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. French higher education institutions are keen to establish campuses in India, sources said.

 

The G7 Summit will take up global issues, including the pressure on energy supplies and freedom of navigation because of the conflict in West Asia. It will also discuss reducing excessive macroeconomic imbalances and fostering shared growth, strengthening the resilience of critical and mineral value chains, and protecting minors online. India was invited to several of the G7 tracks this year.