India, Aug. 27 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly turned down four telephone calls from US President Donald Trump in recent weeks as trade tensions between the two nations continue to escalate over additional 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods for purchasing Russian crude oil, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.

A similar report carried by Japan's Nikkei Asia points to fast-deteriorating ties between the US and India, despite both governments earlier calling their partnership "the most consequential of the 21st century".

HT.com couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the claims.

"Trump has tried four times in recent weeks to get Modi on the phone. But Modi refuses to take the call," Frankfur...