US President Donald Trump reportedly asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to back his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize during a phone call on June 17, The New York Times said in its report on Saturday.

The report stated that Trump reminded Modi “how proud he was of ending the military escalation” between India and Pakistan in May. He also “mentioned that Pakistan was going to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.” Interviews with officials in New Delhi and Washington suggested that Trump wanted Modi to do the same.

Modi dismisses third-party involvement

According to the report, Prime Minister Modi firmly rejected the idea. He told Trump that US efforts “had nothing to do with the recent cease-fire,” stressing that the issue “was settled directly between India and Pakistan.”

The newspaper added that Trump ignored Modi’s remarks. However, the disagreement and Modi’s refusal to discuss the Nobel became an important reason for friction in their relationship.

The White House later denied confirming that such a conversation had taken place, and Trump never mentioned it in public.

Trump’s eagerness to claim credit

India has long opposed any third-party role in its disputes with Pakistan. Despite this, Washington has occasionally stepped in, such as during the Kargil conflict in 1999 and the Pulwama crisis in 2019, to calm tensions.

On May 10, Trump was the first to declare that hostilities had ended. A US statement at the time described it as a ceasefire mediated by Washington. Since then, Trump has often claimed that he convinced both India and Pakistan to stop fighting. He even suggested that he used the threat of ending trade relations with the two countries to bring about peace.

Tariffs add to strained relations

The situation worsened weeks after the June phone call. While trade negotiations were still going on, Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on Indian exports to the US. He later imposed another 25 percent punitive tariff over India’s purchase of Russian oil. These moves further strained the already fragile ties between Washington and New Delhi.

Trump and his Nobel ambition

Trump has frequently argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his global efforts. In June, he wrote on social media, “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the war between India and Pakistan. No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do.”