NYT: President Trump Unlikely to Visit India for Quad Summit This Year

In June, New Delhi announced that US President Donald Trump had accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India later this year for the Quad Leaders’ Summit. However, according to a report published in the New York Times (NYT), Trump may not travel to India this fall. Neither New Delhi nor Washington has officially confirmed or denied the status of the proposed visit.

The visit had been anticipated as an opportunity to finalize negotiations on a bilateral trade deal between India and the United States. India had been among the first countries to open discussions with the US on such a deal, beginning in February. However, progress was derailed when Trump expressed displeasure over India’s purchase of Russian oil and imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports, on top of the already existing reciprocal 25% tariff. As a result, Washington suspended talks and even withheld sending its trade delegation to New Delhi for a round of negotiations scheduled on August 25. Officials in India’s Commerce and Industry Ministry noted that it was impractical to continue discussions while these additional tariffs remained in place.

The NYT report cited sources familiar with Trump’s schedule, claiming that although he had initially told Modi he would attend the Quad Summit, he no longer intended to visit India in the fall. The deterioration in relations was partly linked to a phone conversation on June 17 between the two leaders. This call took place shortly after Trump abruptly left the G7 Summit in Canada’s Kananaskis. According to the report, Trump had asked Modi to stop in the US on his return from Canada, but Modi declined due to prior commitments. This refusal reportedly soured relations further.

Adding to tensions, Trump had repeatedly claimed that he personally “solved” the conflict between India and Pakistan following a ceasefire in hostilities on May 10. New Delhi consistently rejected these assertions, clarifying that the ceasefire was the result of a direct communication initiated by Pakistan’s Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) to India. Despite India’s repeated denials, Trump continued to make public statements crediting himself, even suggesting that he had threatened both countries with trade consequences to push them toward peace.

During the June 17 phone call, Trump once again raised the subject, boasting about ending the escalation and remarking that Pakistan intended to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize—a goal he had openly pursued. According to people familiar with the call, Trump appeared to imply that Modi should also endorse him for the Nobel.

After the 35-minute phone conversation, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri issued a statement clarifying India’s stance. He emphasized that at no point had there been any discussion about an India-US trade deal during these events, nor had there been any proposal for US mediation between India and Pakistan. Misri stressed that India had a firm and consistent position: it does not and will never accept third-party mediation. He also revealed that US Vice President J. D. Vance had informed Modi on May 9 that Pakistan might be planning a major attack on India. Modi had firmly responded that India would retaliate with an even stronger response if such an attack took place.

The dispute over Trump’s claims and India’s rejection of mediation unfolded against the broader backdrop of faltering trade negotiations. According to the NYT, Indian officials were also disturbed by suggestions that Trump considered arranging a handshake between Modi and Pakistan’s army chief, who had reportedly been invited to the White House for lunch around the same period. This possibility further scandalized Indian diplomats, who saw it as an inappropriate and politically damaging move.

Overall, the episode highlighted the widening rift between Washington and New Delhi at the time, marked by stalled trade talks, Trump’s contentious statements about the India-Pakistan conflict, and the uncertainty surrounding his planned visit to India for the Quad Summit.