PM Modi Rejects Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Request, Straining India-US Relations

 On June 17, US President Donald Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ask for his support for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, claiming it was for helping end tensions between India and Pakistan. PM Modi rejected the request, saying the ceasefire was agreed directly between India and Pakistan, not because of US involvement, according to a report by The New York Times.

The report suggests Modi’s refusal to support Trump’s Nobel bid strained relations between the two countries. During the call, Trump expressed pride in ending the military escalation and said Pakistan planned to nominate him for the prize, for which he had been actively campaigning. Modi clarified that the US had no role in the ceasefire.

Weeks later, the US imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on India and added another 25% penalty for India’s purchase of discounted Russian oil, making it a total of 50%.

The report, written by Mujib Mashal, Tyler Pager, and Anupreeta Das, is based on interviews with more than a dozen officials in Washington and New Delhi who spoke anonymously. Since the June 17 call, Modi and Trump have not spoken again. Trump may also skip the Quad Summit in India later this year.

During the 35-minute call, Modi also declined Trump’s invitation to visit Washington after the G7 Summit in Canada, partly due to concerns that Trump might push for a handshake between Modi and Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir. A senior Indian official said Trump seemed unconcerned about the complexities of India-Pakistan relations.

There were later discussions about arranging another call to finalize a partial trade deal, but with trust between the leaders weakening, Indian officials were cautious, fearing Trump might publicly post details on Truth Social regardless of any agreements.

Despite Trump reportedly trying to contact Modi several times over the tariff issue, Modi did not respond. However, a White House spokesperson denied that Trump had reached out, according to the report.

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