India’s Modi Cancels ASEAN Trip Amid Friction With Trump

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will not travel to Kuala Lumpur later this week to attend the ASEAN summit.

He is going to be missing out on a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump amid prolonged trade negotiations.

In a post on X on Thursday, Modi said he will be attending the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit remotely.

Relations between the two countries cooled after Trump hiked tariffs for India to 50 per cent, adding a penalty for importing oil from Russia.
Trump said these purchases were funding Russia’s war in Ukraine.

India, which imported about 85 per cent of its crude needs, said its energy decisions were guided by national interests.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Modi had assured him of reduced Russian oil purchases during a phone call.

However, India’s Foreign Ministry said the two leaders had exchanged Diwali greetings and discussed counterterrorism, and did not mention energy.

Indian media reported that domestic oil companies were planning to recalibrate their oil purchases from Russian companies given the latest sanctions announced by the U.S. and Europe, according to the guidelines of the Indian government.

An unnamed official of India’s top oil importer, Reliance Industries Ltd, had confirmed the development, the Hindu local media reported.

Once known for their warm rapport, Modi and Trump had seen ties cool in recent months after the U.S. president claimed credit for mediating an India-Pakistan conflict.

Meanwhile, New Delhi dismissed the claim as unfounded, but Trump has repeated it on several occasions.