A report in Frankfurter Allgemeine, a German newspaper, alleges that Prime Minister Narendra Modi declined to take numerous phone calls from former US President Donald Trump in recent weeks. The report suggests Modi’s reluctance stemmed from a combination of anger and strategic calculation in light of escalating trade disputes between India and the United States.
The attempts by Trump to contact Modi followed the US’s decision to impose significant tariffs on India, reaching a 50% rate, the highest for most countries except Brazil. The US also imposed penalties on India for purchasing crude oil from Russia.
Trump’s public comments, such as his statement on July 31, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together,” added to the tension. Modi responded on August 10, highlighting India’s economic advancement and its aspirations to become one of the world’s top three economies.
The German newspaper suggested Modi’s actions reflected both his anger and his strategic caution, particularly to avoid a repeat of situations where Trump had prematurely declared a trade deal.
The previous communication between the two leaders occurred on June 17, at Trump’s request. The conversation, which lasted roughly 35 minutes, addressed the attack and Operation Sindoor. During this call, Modi made it clear that no discussions about an India-US trade deal occurred, nor was there any offer of US mediation between India and Pakistan.