Negotiations and dialogue are central to diplomacy, and world leaders are known to rely heavily on phone calls to break deadlocks. Against that backdrop, it has raised eyebrows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not personally call US President Donald Trump to seal a long-pending trade deal — something Trump reportedly expected, according to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
India and the United States have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement even as Washington imposed steep tariffs on Indian exports. There were indications that the deal could be wrapped up in 2025, but talks ultimately stalled.
“The whole [trade] deal was set up. But let’s be clear, it’s his deal. He’s the closer,” Lutnick said in a podcast. “You just had to have Modi call the President. They were uncomfortable doing it. Modi didn’t call.”
Lutnick also suggested that the terms of engagement shifted over time. What was agreed earlier, he said, no longer held later. “They said, ‘But you agreed,’ and I said, then — not now,” he recalled.
While talks with India remained unresolved, the US went on to finalise trade agreements with countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Lutnick pointed out that the UK deal was clinched after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally called Trump.
On Friday, the Indian government rejected Lutnick’s version of events. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Prime Minister Modi had spoken to President Trump at least eight times by phone in 2025, covering a wide range of bilateral issues.
However, analysts note that the absence of a final, deal-closing call may have frustrated Trump, who is now threatening punitive tariffs of up to 500 per cent on Indian goods. The warning has rattled markets, with stocks reacting sharply after weeks of strong gains.
Why Modi may have avoided the call
Opposition figures and commentators argue that Modi’s decision not to personally call Trump was deliberate, given the US President’s unpredictable approach to diplomacy.
Trump has a track record of publicly describing private conversations, at times announcing outcomes without the other side’s consent. “Ask the Japanese PM, British PM or EU trade representatives who spoke to Trump,” wrote Thuglak editor S Gurumurthy on X. “Trump unilaterally announced deals. The Japanese PM lost his job. The UK PM was mocked. That is what Modi avoided.”
Diplomats point out that high-stakes negotiations require caution, particularly when public statements can shape domestic and global perceptions.
Trump has also repeatedly claimed that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May 2025, a claim New Delhi has firmly rejected. India maintains the truce followed a request from Pakistan’s DGMO after Indian military action.
The claim has nonetheless been used by Pakistan on international platforms and by Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to target Modi. “Trump picked up the phone and said, ‘Narender surrender,’ and Modi followed his instructions,” Gandhi said at a rally in Bhopal in June.
Indian officials have clarified that there was no phone call between Modi and Trump after the Pahalgam attack in April or during Operation Sindoor in May.
Reports of failed outreach
A report by German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in August 2025 claimed Trump made at least four attempts to speak to Modi, without success. The newspaper suggested the Indian Prime Minister’s reluctance reflected both anger and caution.
The report also recalled how Trump renegotiated a nearly finalised trade pact with Vietnam during a single phone call and later announced a deal on social media despite no agreement being reached. “Modi does not want to fall into the same trap,” the paper said.
Despite this, Modi and Trump did resume contact later in the year. Trump called Modi on his birthday in September, describing him as a “friend” and praising his leadership in a post on Truth Social.
Confusion resurfaced in October when Trump claimed India had agreed during a phone call to halt purchases of Russian oil. India’s MEA quickly countered the claim, saying the last conversation took place on October 9 and focused on Gaza, trade talks and staying in touch.
Pattern of exaggeration
Trump’s tendency to exaggerate was again evident earlier this month when he claimed India had ordered 68 Apache helicopters and that Modi had personally sought a meeting over the deal. In reality, India ordered 28 Apaches, all of which were delivered by December 2025.
According to Lutnick, Trump had given India “three Fridays” to close the trade deal and expected a final call from Modi. That call never came.
Trade negotiations, diplomats note, are complex processes that rarely conclude under deadlines or pressure. While India continued engaging through official channels — with Modi speaking to Trump multiple times — the risks of sealing a deal through a single, unscripted phone call may have outweighed the potential gains.
That, many believe, explains why the call Trump expected never happened.