Upcoming Summits In Malaysia May Provide Further Chances Of Thaw
NEW DELHI: As Hamas agreed partly to the US Gaza peace plan, PM Narendra Modi again welcomed President Donald Trump’s leadership in reaching that agreement, saying peace efforts in Gaza were making “decisive progress”. Tagging Trump, Modi said in a post on X that indications of the release of hostages marked a significant step forward.”India will continue to support all efforts towards a durable and just peace,” said Modi, who had last week also welcomed Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive peace plan to end the Gaza conflict. Trump had then reposted Modi’s endorsement of the peace proposal on his Truth Social account, in an acknowledgment of Modi’s support.An early end to the war in Gaza has been on top of India’s international agenda but Modi’s warm appreciation for Trump’s role is significant also in context of ongoing efforts by both sides to pull the India-US relationship back from the brink. Unlike Pakistan, which continues to fawn over Trump for ending its military conflict with India in May, Indian govt has questioned Trump’s claims about having negotiated the truce, apparently one of the reasons for the dramatic downturn in India-US ties. After a gap of three months, Modi and Trump spoke last month with the latter calling the PM on his birthday, raising hopes of a turnaround in the ties. Modi had then also backed Trump’s initiatives for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The same day India and the US also resumed negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement that both sides see as crucial for restoring normalcy in ties.Modi said last month both leaders remained committed to taking the relationship to new heights. India would not mind a reaffirmation of that sentiment in the form of a meeting on the margins of the upcoming Asean and East Asia summits in Malaysia but that remains uncertain as Trump is yet to officially confirm his participation. Official sources here said there’s no proposal so far for a meeting as India itself is yet take a call on the level of participation.Modi has regularly participated in these meetings but Trump took part only once during his previous term. According to diplomatic sources, progress in trade negotiations will be key to not just chances of a meeting in Malaysia but also the proposed Quad summit that India would like to host late this year or early 2026.Modi’s message Saturday followed a statement by Hamas that it would release all Israeli hostages as proposed by Trump’s peace plan. However, it has remained silent on other key proposals in the 20-point plan, including laying down arms to facilitate peace.
