Indian govt denies PM Narendra Modi met Donald Trump over election rally claims

The Indian government has clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not scheduled any meeting with former US President Donald Trump, despite Trump’s claims at an election rally.

On Wednesday, Trump announced that Prime Minister Modi would “come to meet with him” next week. However, on Thursday, Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri confirmed that there was “no specific meeting” with the former president at the moment.

Addressing the media ahead of Modi’s visit to the United States from September 21-23, Misri outlined the prime minister’s travel itinerary, which includes separate meetings with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The meetings will be held in Wilmington, Delaware, where Modi is scheduled to fly directly from Delhi on Saturday morning for the Quad summit.

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Modi is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings during his visit to New York on Sunday, September 22 and Monday, September 23.

“I think we need to first set a date for the meeting and then look at the issues,” Misri said, responding to Trump’s statement.

“We are trying to schedule a few meetings, given the time available. So I cannot confirm any specific meeting at this time,” he added.

At the same rally, Trump called India a “big abuser” of trade policy but also described Modi as a “fantastic, fantastic man.”

While both the leaders were considered close during the Trump presidency, a meeting now seems difficult due to Modi’s limited time in the US and Trump’s ongoing campaign schedule.

Modi’s US itinerary includes addressing a diaspora event, meeting with tech CEOs and addressing the UN Future Summit on Tuesday afternoon.

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Responding to a question whether Modi would come up with a peace proposal over the Russia-Ukraine conflict following his recent visits to Moscow and Kiev, Misri described the peace efforts as a “work in progress”.

“We are currently in a number of talks with several important partners and leaders,” he explained, but declined to comment on whether Modi would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York.