Investing.com -- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington and New Delhi are nearing completion of a long-awaited trade agreement during talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Group of Seven summit in France.

"We've been there for a little while and he's a very tough negotiator, one of the toughest, actually," Trump said when asked about the status of negotiations. The president described Modi as a longtime friend but added that while Modi looks "like an angel, but actually, he's as tough as a killer."

Trump said he would visit India at some point but did not provide a specific date.

The meeting marked the first in-person talks between the two leaders since Modi's White House visit early last year. The countries have worked to repair relations after a year of tensions over US tariffs, Pakistan and the war in Iran.

The meeting occurred following a recent US attack on Indian-crewed vessels in the Gulf of Oman region, which killed at least three sailors and drew criticism from India. The ships were targeted as part of a US blockade of vessels sailing to and from Iranian ports.

Modi addressed the issue during his remarks to Trump at a press briefing. "We have always said that freedom of navigation should be ensured," the prime minister said. Thousands of Indian seafarers "are on duty on the world's seas in the maritime trade sector. I believe that their security is equally important," he said.

Modi said he was confident that the "security of seafarers will be ensured and prioritized" with the US-Iran peace deal.

When asked about US-India defense ties, Trump called it a "great relationship" and said the US would support India if attacked. "If they were attacked, we would be there to help them," he said. Pointing to Modi, he added: "If anybody attacks that man, we're going to be there" but "if there's a new leader, I'm not sure about that."

The US and India are working to finalize an interim trade pact that was agreed upon in February. The deal was initially set to be signed in March but was delayed following a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump's reciprocal tariffs. Under the proposed arrangement, Indian exports would face an 18% tariff, compared with the 50% rate announced last year.

Indian and US trade negotiators have met twice since March, including in Washington in April and during a four-day meeting this month in New Delhi. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is scheduled to visit India later this month to advance the talks.