US President Donald Trump will not be India’s chief guest for the 2019 Republic Day celebrations. According to an NDTV report, the US president has reportedly declined India’s invitation to be the chief guest.
In August, the United States had confirmed to have received the invitation from India. There is no word on the confirmation from the Ministry of External Affairs yet.
The US embassy in Delhi, when contacted by NDTV, said that this was something only the White House could confirm.
This development has come at a time when relations between the two countries are not at their best. India's insistence on buying oil from Iran despite US sanctions on the oil-producing nation was not taken well by the Trump administration, the NDTV report said.
Previous US President Barack Obama had been invited twice to witness the Republic Day celebrations throughout his tenure.
(With inputs from NDTV)
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