Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly refused four telephone calls from US President Donald Trump in recent weeks, amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and New Delhi over tariffs on Indian goods.
According to a German newspaper, Trump attempted to reach Modi multiple times, but the Indian leader declined to take his calls. The report, however, did not cite its sources. Neither Washington nor New Delhi have immediately responded to the claims.
The dispute centres on the United States imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports in retaliation for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. This move has fuelled a rapid deterioration in ties between the two nations, once described by both sides as “the most consequential partnership of the 21st century.”
A similar report by Japan suggested that Trump’s repeated but unsuccessful attempts to speak with Modi have heightened the former president’s frustration.
Citing Indian diplomatic experts, the magazine noted that Modi has consistently avoided the calls, fearing that Trump could misrepresent the outcome of talks, especially on sensitive issues involving Pakistan.
This apprehension follows Trump’s earlier unverified claim that he had prevented a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan through trade pressure – an assertion that the Indian government has flatly rejected.
Also Read : Trump now says 7 jets shot down in India-Pakistan clash
The reports also stated that Modi turned down Trump’s last-minute invitation to visit Washington in late June after the G20 summit in Canada. The two leaders did not meet there, as Trump left the summit early.
Trump was said to have wanted Modi at the White House alongside Pakistani Army chief General Asim Munir to present himself as a mediator. India, however, objected strongly, calling the attempt a false equivalence between “a perpetrator of terrorism and a victim of terrorism.”
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has himself had clashes with Trump, wrote that India feels “deeply aggrieved” after being singled out for tariffs and sanction threats, while Russia and China have faced far less pressure.
“The longer India hangs out to dry, the worse the New Delhi–Washington relationship gets,” Bolton added, shortly after he was targeted in an FBI raid linked to a national security investigation.
Follow us
