US President Donald Trump made at least four attempts in recent weeks to speak with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone, but the Indian leader refused to take the calls, claimed a report.
German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), which has examined the ongoing India-US tariff dispute, said Trump’s usual methods in trade conflicts — complaints, threats, and pressure — were not working in India’s case as they have with other countries.
“There are signs indicating that Modi felt insulted,” FAZ claimed, adding that Modi’s refusal to speak to Trump demonstrates the depth of his irritation and his caution.
The report did not specify the dates of the alleged calls, and India has not commented on the matter yet.
Perceptions of Trump in India have shifted considerably, largely because of his overtures to Pakistan, according to the FAZ report.
Indo-US ties have hit a rough patch as Trump has repeatedly targeted India for its trade surplus.
On August 6, the United States raised tariffs on Indian goods by 25 to 50 per cent, citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil and petroleum products, which are financing “Putin’s war machine” in Ukraine.
The tariffs are scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, August 27.
“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together,” Trump said on July 31.
Thorsten Benner, co-founder and director of the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute, shared a copy of the report on X, writing: “FAZ claims that Trump tried to call Modi four times in recent weeks but that Modi refused the calls.”
The German newspaper claimed Modi is resisting Trump’s pressure to open Indian markets to US agribusiness while maintaining India’s position on continuing oil imports from Russia.
Analyst Mark Frazier told FAZ that the American idea of an Indo-Pacific alignment, in which India plays a central role in containing China, “is falling apart”.
Frazier, co-director of the India-China Institute at the New School in New York, also said that India never intended to side with the US against China.
The newspaper has also claimed that one-fifth of Indian exports go to the United States and new tariffs could slow India’s economic growth to 5.5 per cent, down from an expected 6.5 per cent.
The paper recalled that Trump had earlier upended a carefully negotiated trade pact with Vietnam during a single phone call with General Secretary To Lam.
Without securing agreement, Trump announced on social media that a deal had been reached.
“Modi doesn’t want to fall into the same trap,” FAZ said.
India shares common interests with China in expanding influence within global institutions, and Chinese investment and technology could boost Indian industry, according to Frazier.
The report also highlighted that Modi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin this weekend.
According to FAZ, New Delhi’s mood is changing. Since meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping last year, Modi has spoken of feeling “respect.” His participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit later this week underscores questions about whether Trump’s policies are pushing India closer to China.
“India needs China more than China needs India,” said Frazier. “India’s shift is strategic, not just a response to US tariffs. With the US retreating, India and China share interests in global influence and industrial growth. For China, India is key to boosting its global economic and geopolitical position.”
