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US President Donald Trump reportedly turned down India's invitation to attend Republic Day event
US President Donald Trump has reportedly declined to be invited to the Republic Day celebrations. In early August, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders had confirmed Mr Trump received an invitation to visit India. "I know that the invitation has been extended, but I do not believe that a final decision has been made," Ms Sanders told reporters then.
The foreign ministry has not given a statement. The American embassy in Delhi said only the White House can talk on the president's travel plans.
For the last few weeks, US officials have stated that Mr Trump would not be flying to India in the future.
However, forming US President Barack Obama came to India twice and also attended the Republic Day celebrations in 2015 on his second visit, despite the State of the Union falling in the year.
Mr Trump turning down the invitation could be seen at a low point in India-US ties, despite the good report PM Modi and he appear to have in public.
Normally, formal guests to leaders for the Republic Day are feeling after the leader has already confirmed his or her. Form diplomats have criticized the government for leaking the invitation letter to Mr Trump before a confirmation.
Mr Trump declining India's invitation to the Republic Day celebrations comes after India and the US have had a rough time over a range of geopolitical issues. India's insistence on buying oil from Iran despite US sanctions on the oil-producing nation was not taken up well by the Trump administration.
India and the United States also had a complex issue of possible US sanctions after the Prime Minister's decision to buy the Russian S-400 long-range missile system, which the US considers is within the scope of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The S-400 missile system is arguably the world's deadliest surface-to-air missile and the US believes the weapon can bring imbalance on the battlefield if it falls into the wrong hands. Russia's deployment of the missile system in Syria is seen as a threat to the West.
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