PM Modi unlikely to attend UNGA as US tensions, Zelensky meeting buzz grow

India has yet to decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to New York for the high-level United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in late September, despite his name appearing on the UN’s provisional list of speakers.

Officials familiar with the matter told reporters on August 13 that a decision would be taken closer to the session, which opens September 23 and concludes September 29.

The UN’s preliminary schedule currently has India’s head of government slated to address the Assembly on the morning of September 26, a slot typically reserved for leaders rather than ministers. But insiders cautioned against reading too much into the listing, noting that it is common for heads of state or government to drop out after the list is drawn up in August.

Speculation about a US visit intensified after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he planned to meet Modi during the UNGA, following a phone call on Monday. A potential Modi-Zelensky meeting would have added a layer of diplomatic intrigue, especially against the backdrop of the Ukraine war.

However, multiple sources described Modi’s attendance as “very unlikely” in the current climate, pointing to unresolved trade disputes and fresh strains in India-US relations.

In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, added another 25% penalty over Russian oil imports, and accused New Delhi of “fuelling the Russian war machine.” Trump’s repeated claims of having mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan have further irked the Modi government.

The uncertainty leaves India’s final representation at the UNGA open — with the possibility that a senior minister, rather than the Prime Minister, could take the podium in New York.