India-US relations have soured over Trump’s claims on Operation Sindoor and his imposition of fresh tariffs on Indian goods

India-US relations have soured over Trump’s claims on Operation Sindoor and his imposition of fresh tariffs on Indian goods

India-US relations have soured over Trump’s claims on Operation Sindoor and his imposition of fresh tariffs on Indian goods

As the bilateral relations between India and the United States saw an unprecedented downturn following the raging trade war, a media report claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to attend President Donald Trump’s phone calls at least four times in the recent weeks.

“Trump has tried four times in recent weeks to get Modi on the phone. But Modi refuses to take the call,” said German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).

The authenticity of the report, which did not name any sources, could not be independently verified.

Nikkie Asia, A Japan-based news magazine has also made a similar claim, quoting unnamed Indian diplomatic experts.

“Trump recently attempted multiple times to call Modi in search of a compromise. But the Indian leader has consistently refused to take the calls, further heightening Trump’s frustration,” the report said.

The India-US relations nosedived in the past few weeks, after Trump announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil.

The new tariff, which takes the total levy on Indian goods to the US to a whopping 50per cent, came into effect on Wednesday, August 27.

Also, the US President’s repeated claim that his direct intervention had averted a nuclear war between India and Pakistan has irked New Delhi which maintains that the ceasefire decision was taken bilaterally following a request from the Pakistan DGMO.

India has also dismissed Trump’s claim that he had used trade to pressurise both India and Pakistan to end the conflict and agree to a ceasefire.

In late June, Modi turned down Trump’s last-minute invitation to Washington after the G20 Summit in Canada. According to reports, the US President wanted Modi at the White House along with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir to bolster his peace brokering claims.