Washington, Aug 31 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s refusal to endorse US President Donald Trump’s pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize played a key role in souring India-US ties, according to a report published in The New York Times.
The report said Trump, during a June 17 phone call, sought Modi’s support for his nomination on the grounds that he had helped end hostilities between India and Pakistan. Modi, however, rebuffed the request, maintaining New Delhi’s position that the ceasefire was agreed directly between the two neighbors without American involvement.
“Trump told Modi how proud he was of ending the military escalation and mentioned that Pakistan was going to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize,” the report said, citing interviews with more than a dozen people in Washington and New Delhi. “Modi brushed off the claim, insisting the US had nothing to do with the ceasefire.”
The call, which lasted 35 minutes, also included Trump’s invitation to Modi to visit Washington following the G7 Summit in Canada. Modi declined, concerned that the American president might “try to force” a handshake with Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir, according to Indian officials quoted in the report.
Weeks after the exchange, the Trump administration imposed 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and added another 25 percent penalty for New Delhi’s purchase of discounted Russian oil, raising the total tariff burden to 50 percent.
The Times said the relationship between the two leaders deteriorated further as mistrust grew. Indian officials were wary of further calls with Trump, fearing he would post details on his social media platform, Truth Social, “regardless of what agreements were made,” one senior official told the paper. “Trump cared very little about the complexity of India-Pakistan relations,” another Indian official said.
According to two people briefed on the discussions, Trump attempted to reach out to Modi several times amid frustrations over stalled tariff negotiations, but the Indian side did not respond. A White House spokesperson, however, denied Trump had made such attempts.
The two leaders have not spoken since the June 17 phone call, the report said. It added that Trump is unlikely to attend the Quad Summit scheduled later this year in India.
The Times story, written by Mujib Mashal, Tyler Pager and Anupreeta Das, drew on anonymous interviews with officials in both capitals. It concluded that Modi’s refusal to back Trump’s Nobel Prize bid marked a turning point, deepening rifts between Washington and New Delhi at a time when trade tensions and geopolitical pressures were already straining the partnership.
