Kuala Lumpur / New Delhi — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the ASEAN summit in Malaysia this week to avoid a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that could have led to an uncomfortable discussion about Pakistan, according to a Bloomberg report published Tuesday.
Sources cited by Bloomberg said Modi’s government was concerned that Trump might revisit his earlier claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following a four-day border conflict in May. Officials reportedly feared that any renewed mention of Pakistan during the summit could become politically damaging for Modi, who is currently leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign in the Bihar state elections.
“Modi didn’t want to risk a meeting with Trump that could end up being embarrassing for the prime minister,” Bloomberg quoted unnamed officials as saying. Opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, accused Modi of avoiding the in-person summit to sidestep the issue entirely.
The ASEAN summit, held from October 26 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur, brought together leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its dialogue partners, including the United States. Modi joined the discussions virtually, marking the first time India’s head of government did not attend the event in person in several years.
Bloomberg also reported that this was not the first time Modi distanced himself from direct engagement with Trump. In August, he allegedly declined an invitation to visit the White House, amid fears that Trump would propose a meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Relations between New Delhi and Washington have cooled in recent months after Trump’s administration raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50% and accused India of undermining Western sanctions on Russia by purchasing discounted Russian oil.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked in May 2025, after India launched “Operation Sindoor” in response to an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Pakistan retaliated with “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,” leading to heavy cross-border fire and drone exchanges before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect.
Earlier Tuesday, President Trump repeated his claim that seven aircraft were downed during that conflict, a statement India has not publicly addressed.