According to a report in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi allegedly refused to take at least four phone calls from former US President Donald Trump in recent weeks. The newspaper suggests this action reflects Modi’s anger and caution regarding the trade relationship between India and the United States.
These attempts by Trump to reach Modi followed the US imposing significant tariffs on India, with a 50% rate levied, the highest for any country except Brazil. The US administration had also penalized India for its crude oil imports from Russia.
Trump’s comments further fueled the tensions, as he stated on July 31, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together.” Modi responded on August 10, asserting that India is on track to become one of the world’s top three economies.
The German newspaper noted that Modi’s refusal to speak to Trump demonstrates “the depth of his anger, but also his caution.” They explained that Modi was wary of falling into a similar situation as before, where Trump had prematurely claimed a trade deal had been struck.
Prior to these events, Modi and Trump last spoke on June 17, at Trump’s request. The conversation took place after a scheduled meeting at the G7 Summit in Canada was cut short due to Trump’s early departure. The discussion lasted approximately 35 minutes, and focused on the attack and Operation Sindoor. During this call, Modi made it clear that there was no discussion of a trade deal between the two nations, nor any proposal for US mediation between India and Pakistan.