Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Wednesday that he will not attend the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in person, opting instead to participate virtually. This rules out any potential meeting with US President Donald Trump. In a post on X, PM Modi mentioned his warm conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, extending his best wishes for the success of the upcoming summits. Interestingly, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar had already shared the news on Facebook before the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed it.Anwar wrote that he received a call from Modi on Wednesday evening, during which the two leaders discussed strengthening India-Malaysia ties and touched upon the upcoming ASEAN Summit.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will represent India at the event. With US President Trump also attending the summit on Sunday, there had been speculation about a one-on-one meeting between him and Modi. That option is now off the table. Analysts suggest Modi’s decision to skip the event may be aimed at avoiding a direct encounter with Trump, who could repeat claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan—a narrative India has consistently rejected, emphasizing that Pakistan sought peace after India’s airstrikes.
