US President Donald Trump is reportedly toying with calling off his upcoming visit to India, a report says. The planned visit, which was initially scheduled as part of the QUAD Summit, now seems to be on hold with increasing tensions between Washington and New Delhi. These tensions have been mostly related to recent trade disputes, such as Trump’s declaration of a 50% tariff on Indian imports, but have a wider geopolitical dimension as well.
The report says Trump had previously told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would head to India later this year to attend the QUAD Summit. However, sources who track the president’s schedule say the India trip is off the board, and he is likely to miss the summit altogether.
Apart from trade issues, another bone of contention has been Trump’s frequent claims to have been instrumental in bringing about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during last month’s military conflict in the region of Kashmir, which has gone on since the two nations’ independence from British rule in 1947. While Pakistan embraced Trump’s assertions fast, India has refuted any US mediation, claiming that the ceasefire was accomplished solely through bilateral negotiations with the Islamabad government.
India has further underlined that it does not countenance foreign interference in its foreign policy, especially in regard to its longstanding and sensitive relationship with Pakistan which dates back to over 75 years. Trump’s continued insistence on taking credit and his drive for a Nobel Peace Prize has further strained the relationship and complicated US-India ties by another level.
Experts say these issues, along with the trade issues that continue to proliferate, could have contributed to Trump’s decision to rethink the visit, a move that indicates a cautious approach to New Delhi at a time when bilateral ties are under question.
Despite these developments, both sides’ officials have insisted that a diplomatic channel remains open, and there is hope that dialogue can help solve the problems.
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