The recent downturn in U.S.-India relations appears to be driven less by policy disputes and more by personal tensions between President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bloomberg reports.
While Washington has accused New Delhi of continuing to buy Russian oil despite sanctions, sources say the real spark came after Modi challenged Trump’s claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
In a June 17 phone call lasting 35 minutes, Modi told Trump the ceasefire was agreed upon through direct talks with Pakistan, which had strategically credited Trump and even suggested him for a Nobel Prize.
The rift deepened when Modi declined Trump’s invitation to visit the White House during Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir’s visit, and later told India’s parliament that Trump had played no role in ending the conflict.
