Humiliated by his 'true friend': How Trump and Modi's bromance fell apart

The blossoming relationship between Donald Trump and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has abruptly turned sour.

After the heady days of the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston, and the mega "Namaste Trump" show in Ahmedabad, where a stadium was packed with over 100,000 people to welcome the US president and his family, the humiliation by his "true friend" has left the Indian leader seething. For over a decade, Mr Modi has meticulously crafted his image as a global leader rubbing shoulders with, and hugging, world leaders.

He now finds himself humiliated by the planet's most powerful man. Ukraine war latest: Putin arrives in China for rare visit The opposition parties have wasted no time in rubbing salt into that wound, egging Mr Modi to retaliate in the national interest.

But so far he has maintained his silence. The indignity began in May after the four-day conflict between Indian and Pakistan.

Mr Trump announced on social media that he brokered a ceasefire between two nuclear-armed arch-rivals that was spiralling. This was even before the ceasefire was put in place by the leaders of both countries.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instantly thanked the US president for bringing peace to the region and went on to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Both countries are now exploring crypto and mining deals.

Mr Modi has remained silent, his government instead credited its military for forcing Pakistan to concede. Even as Mr Trump has spoken of his intervention publicly over 30 times now.

Moreover, he has offered to intervene in the decades-old Kashmir dispute, a taboo subject in India. India is 'Kremlin's laundromat' Then came the swift punishment of an extra 25% tariff levied on India for buying discounted Russian crude oil, taking the total duties to 50%, one of the highest in the world.

The US government justified its actions as a national security concern that is fuelling the war in Ukraine and so applied aggressive economic leverage. Mr Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as "Modi's war.