US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has claimed that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had requested ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, that the interaction should not include questions from the media.Gor, speaking at an event hosted by a media house, said Trump agreed to an Indian request to avoid press questions during his meeting with Modi at the G7 summit at France in June this year.Trump opened the floor to reporters immediately after the leaders finished their opening remarks, said Gor, describing what happened behind the scenes before and during the Trump-Modi meeting.Gor further said he was with Trump before the US President met Modi and discussed what India was expected to raise during the meeting. “We were behind the scenes, behind the stage, and at one point it was just the President and I, and he asked me, what are the Indians going to raise?” Gor said.The two discussed possible topics, after which Trump asked whether the Indian side had any specific requests. “He (Trump) said, do they have any asks? The MEA had one ask,” Gor said.According to Gor, the MEA wanted the media to be present but did not want a full press conference. “He said, let’s bring in the media, but not do a full press conference,” Gor quoted Trump as saying.Gor said he conveyed India’s preference directly to Trump. “I told the President that the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem,” Gor said.The meeting then began with members of the media present. “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,” Gor recalled.According to Gor, Trump then unexpectedly invited questions from journalists. “As soon as they get done, the first thing the President does, he looks up at the camera and says, any questions?” Gor said.He added that Trump’s remark effectively changed the format of the meeting. The envoy claimed the interaction subsequently turned into a 45-minute press conference, with reporters raising a wide range of issues.The US envoy described the outcome by saying: “A 45-minute press conference” followed and “everything was on the table.”