PM Modi rejected 4 phone calls from Donald Trump amid India-US trade war, German media claims

India Today, citing Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.)’s report, stated that Trump attempted to call PM Modi four times in recent weeks, but “the Indian leader refused to talk to him.”

This, FAZ suggested, reflects “the depth of his (PM Modi's) anger, but also his caution”. 

Sunday Guardian Live reported that FAZ mentioned Trump’s repeated calls went unanswered by Modi, interpreting this as India standing firm against U.S. tariff pressure.

Media outlets like TASS, The Financial Express, and others have echoed the same, quoting FAZ’s reporting.

This comes as PM Modi reiterated that his government will not compromise on the interests of farmers and small-scale industries, cautioning that "pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it".

"Today in the world, everyone is busy doing politics based on economic interests. From this land of Ahmedabad, I will tell my small entrepreneurs, my small shopkeeper brothers and sisters, my farmer brothers and sisters, my animal husbandry brothers and sisters and I am saying this on the land of Gandhi. I promise you again and again, your interests are paramount for Modi," PM Modi had said in Ahmedabad.

"My government will never let any harm come to the small entrepreneurs, farmers, and animal keepers. No matter how much pressure comes, we will keep increasing our strength to withstand," he added.

Donald Trump recently imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on all Indian exports over the latter's purchase of Russian oil, on top of a 25 percent tariff due to a trade imbalance.

This has led India to face a steep 50 percent duty in total on major industries like textiles, gems and jewellery, auto parts, and seafood.

Ties between India and the US have been strained in recent weeks after the Trump administration imposed secondary tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.

India had condemned the move and called it "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".

The tariffs are scheduled to be applicable on all exports starting August 27.

Trump’s adviser, Peter Navarro, earlier told the media: “I don’t think my boss will give them another extension.”