US President Donald Trump made at least four attempts in recent weeks to speak with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the Indian leader refused to take the calls, according to a report in the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
The refusal, the newspaper said, reflects both Modi’s deep anger over Washington’s tariff measures and his cautious approach to dealing with Trump’s negotiating tactics.
The revelation comes as relations between the two democracies have entered one of their most strained phases in decades. Earlier this month, the Trump administration imposed a sweeping 50 percent tariff on Indian exports, making India the hardest-hit nation after Brazil. Nearly one-fifth of India’s exports are bound for the United States, ranging from pharmaceuticals to auto parts and textiles, raising fears of a slowdown in Indian growth.
Modi’s Silence: Anger and Caution
FAZ highlighted signs that Modi was “offended” by Trump’s aggressive trade measures, even though the two leaders maintained cordial ties during Trump’s first term. Unlike many leaders who have been forced to accommodate Washington’s economic leverage, Modi has “resisted” bending under pressure, the report noted.
German commentators described Modi’s refusal as unusually firm. “The fact that the Indian leader continues to refuse talks shows both the depth of his anger and his caution,” the FAZ report said.
The caution stems partly from Trump’s reputation for renegotiating agreements abruptly. FAZ recalled how Trump once overrode months of US-Vietnamese negotiations in a single phone call with Vietnam’s General Secretary To Lam — later claiming on social media that a trade deal had been finalized, despite no formal conclusion. Modi, analysts suggest, is determined not to “fall into the same trap.”
Strategic Fallout
The standoff has implications beyond trade. Washington has long envisioned India as a cornerstone of its “Indo-Pacific strategy” to counterbalance China. But experts now say that this framework is unraveling.
“America’s strategy isn’t working,” said Mark Frazier, co-director of the India-China Institute at the New School in New York. “The American concept of an ‘Indo-Pacific’ alignment, in which India would play a central role in the US’s containment of China, is collapsing. India never intended to commit to siding with the US against China.”
For India, the tariffs appear to have confirmed longstanding suspicions in New Delhi that Washington is an unreliable partner. Officials in the Modi government argue that strategic autonomy remains the only viable course.
Diplomatic Ripples
Trump’s repeated but unsuccessful outreach underscores the limits of personal diplomacy. During his first presidency, Trump was able to use the leverage of the US market to secure concessions from partners, but India now seems unwilling to play along.
“Modi has decided that silence is a stronger message than words,” one senior Indian official told The Hindu, requesting anonymity. “If Trump wants to build pressure, India will show it can absorb it.”
What Lies Ahead
The tariff dispute comes as Modi prepares to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Observers say that Trump’s approach may inadvertently push India closer to its traditional rivals in Washington’s strategic calculus.
For now, Modi’s refusal to take Trump’s calls has become symbolic of a larger shift — a signal that India is unwilling to let short-term economic pressure dictate long-term sovereignty.
