• “There are signs indicating that Modi felt insulted,” writes paper. 
• Modi’s unwillingness to hold a phone call shows his frustration.
• Two countries seek to increase annual trade to $500bn by 2030. 

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump reportedly attempted to contact Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on four occasions in recent weeks, but his calls went unanswered, The News reported citing Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. 

The German paper, citing sources points out that earlier, Trump shocked India by imposing the country with 25% tariffs and calling it a “dead economy.” 

“There are signs indicating that Modi felt insulted,” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes, adding that Modi’s unwillingness to hold a phone conversation with Trump demonstrates the extent to which the Indian premier was irritated by what the US president had done, TASS reported.

The newspaper also notes that the way Trump is perceived in India has considerably changed, particularly due to his statements about plans to boost relations with Pakistan. 

India and the United States began negotiations on a large-scale trade agreement in February, following Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Washington. Both countries aim to increase annual trade to $500 billion by 2030.

The agreement was expected to be signed this fall. India’s delegation has made several trips to Washington for talks, but a US delegation’s visit to India for the sixth round of negotiations, scheduled for August 25, was cancelled.