A tense phone call between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan has become a key flash point in the dramatic collapse of the links between the two leaders, according to a report published by the US financial publication Bloomberg.
The two leaders spoke at the June G7 summit in Canada at the G7 summit, where Modi attended as a guest. At Trump’s request, the two held a 35-minute call, which, according to Indian officials, focused on the insistence of Trump according to which Washington deserved the merit of negotiating a cease-fire between India and Pakistan after four days of clashes in May.
Modi, according to the Indian account, rejected Trump’s claims, saying that talks to stop military hostilities took place directly through military channels between New Delhi and Islamabad, and only at the request of Pakistan. “India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do it,” the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vikram Misri, told journalists after the appeal.
Misri’s complaint contrasts strongly with the insistence of President Trump for negotiating the truce between India and Pakistan. Islamabad also said on several occasions that Modi had approached the US chief with a request to play a role in stopping hostilities between the two nuclear neighbors.
Tensions have increased sharply after the Indian chief learned that Trump was planning to welcome Pakistan’s army chief, Marshal Syed Asim Munir, for a white house the next day. According to officials informed of the issue, this moment brought diplomatic tension to the head.
Bloomberg reports that on June 17, Trump extended an invitation to Modi for an official dinner in the White House. However, the Indian Prime Minister refused the invitation, fearing that the meeting would be used to orchestrate a direct meeting with the Marshal Munnir.
The benefits quickly spread into the public sphere. In a few weeks, Trump imposed additional prices of 25% on Indian exports, citing continuous purchases of Russian oil from New Delhi as the main concern. With certain tasks now reaching 50%, India is faced with one of the highest price barriers of any American trading partner. The prices should take effect on August 17, unless a trade agreement is concluded in time.
Speaking at a press event this month, Trump described the Indian economy as “dead”, criticized India’s “unpleasant” trade barriers and accused the country of showing little concern for the Ukrainian victims in its neutral position on the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
The rupture of relations marks a striking reversal in a strategic partnership which has been fed for decades. The two countries have long considered themselves as critical democratic allies, in particular as a counterweight to increasing Chinese influence in Indo-Pacific.
“The carefully designed consensus of successive administrations has brought together the two largest democracies for almost three decades,” said Eric Garcetti, who was an American ambassador to India until January. “Administration’s actions could endanger this progress if they do not solve quickly. I hope that the cooler minds prevail in the two capitals. There is too much at stake. “
Since the controversial call in June, Modi and Trump would not have spoken again. The Ministry of India for external affairs has not responded to requests for media comments, while the White House also refused to clarify the American role in the Indian-Pakistani ceasefire or to provide updates on bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, the deputy spokesperson for the State Department, Tommy Pigott during a briefing on Thursday, said that Trump “was taking measures to respond to concerns about commercial imbalances and continuous purchases of Russian oil from India”.
