India-US Relations: 'PM Modi does not deal over the phone', claims Indian diplomat on Trump not answering the phone

The report of the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine has created a stir in the US-India relations at the international level. According to the report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not answer four calls from US President Donald Trump in recent weeks. This has come to light at a time when the trade dispute between India and America is deepening. Japanese media Nikkei Asia has also claimed that Trump was very angry due to not getting answers to the continuous phone calls.

According to the Times of India report, a senior Indian diplomat clarified that Modi does not discuss sensitive issues on the phone. The official said that it is not the Prime Minister's style to reach a compromise on complex international matters over the phone. Sources also added that by not answering Trump's calls, Modi tried to avoid the apprehension that Trump might misrepresent the conversation. Earlier, India had also accused Trump of distorting the discussions held during the India-Pakistan tension.

US response and Trump's claims

US officials have refused to confirm whether the calls were actually made. However, Trump has repeatedly claimed in the last four months that he prevented a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan. But each time he presented a changing timeline of events and the number of aircraft. Washington analysts described these claims as exaggerated and said Trump was trying to prove himself a peacemaker.

Controversy over the G-20 summit and the White House invitation

Tensions deepened further when Modi turned down Trump's last-minute invitation to visit the White House after the G-20 summit in Canada. Trump had also invited Pakistan's military chief, Asim Munir, during this period. He tried to call it a step towards Indo-Pak peace talks. But New Delhi strongly criticized the move and said that it is highly objectionable to put India, a victim of terrorism, and Pakistan, the spreader of terror, on the same level.

India's resentment and US policy

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton wrote that there is deep resentment in New Delhi against the US. India feels that it is being repeatedly threatened with trade tariffs and sanctions, while Russia and China are not facing such strictness. India believes that it is being seen as a tool of trade pressure rather than a strategic partner. This is the reason why the Modi government is currently keeping a distance from Trump's direct intervention on sensitive issues.