Overview

• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports President Trump attempted at least four phone calls to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent weeks and that Modi refused each.
• Thorsten Benner of the Global Public Policy Institute shared the FAZ article on X, highlighting the four unsuccessful attempts to reach Modi.
• India’s Ministry of External Affairs says the last confirmed leader-to-leader contact was a roughly 35-minute call on June 17 at Trump’s request, with no discussion of a trade deal or U.S. mediation on India-Pakistan issues.
• FAZ characterizes the refusals as a sign of anger and caution, citing Trump’s past phone-driven renegotiation of a U.S.-Vietnam pact as a scenario Modi seeks to avoid.
• The reports note the U.S. has imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, described as the steepest for any nation except Brazil, as analysts argue the strains reflect a wider strategic shift in New Delhi.