Vineeta Rao
Auckland, April 4, 2025
India’s Prime Minister seems to be winning praise for his diplomatic acumen and apparent ability to get along with all kinds of global leaders.
His ability to manage relationships with world leaders dubbed ‘difficult’ or ‘unpredictable’ or even notoriously hard to handle by the rest of the world has been noticed and commented upon.
The Morning Consult Global Leader Approval Rating Tracker for March 2025 found Mr Modi topping the list with 77% approval, followed by Claudia Scheinbaum of Mexico at 69%. Javier Milei of Argentina was listed third with 62% approval, while Australia’s Anthony Albanese stood fourth in the global leader ratings with 54%.
US President Donald Trump is further down the list in fifth place with 49% approval.
‘Trendy’ young leaders like France’s Emanuel Macron and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also do not score very high on this list.
The Morning Consult Global Leader Approval Rating Tracker reflects a trailing seven-day simple moving average of views among adults in each country surveyed.
A key player in geopolitics
Despite his somewhat polarising status in India, Mr Modi has been winning praise from other global leaders. Most recently, Chile’s President Gabriel Boric Font, on a visit to India to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic ties, said that Mr Modi has a weird status nowadays that he can talk to every leader of the world, Mr Putin, Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky, and the European Union, and Latin American leaders in BRICS or Iran.
“That is something that no other leader can do now. You (Modi) are a key player in the geopolitical atmosphere nowadays,” he said.
This is echoed by Mr Trump, who, despite trade tensions between the two countries, described Mr Modi as a ‘great friend’ and ‘very smart man.’
“I think it is going to work out very well between India and our country. And I want to say you have a great Prime Minister,” during Mr Modi’s visit to the White House in February 2025.
Friend of Putin, Zelenskyy
Respect from Putin
Last year in July, Mr Modi condemned Russia’s bombing of a children’s hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, during a two-day visit to Russia. His speech was televised, and the rebuke was witnessed by thousands of people.
Mr Putin’s regard for Modi appears to continue unabated.
In March this year, Mr Putin thanked world leaders, including Mr Trump and Mr Modi for their ‘noble mission’ to end the war with Ukraine.
India has sent over 97.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Mr Modi visited Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy last year.
Praise for Modi has been forthcoming from global industry leaders as well.
Nobel Peace Prize
Mark Mobius, the ‘Guru’ of emerging market funds, recently recommended Mr Modi for the Nobel Peace Prize, stating that his leadership could play a crucial role in fostering peace, particularly amid global conflicts such as the ongoing war in Ukraine and the tensions in West Asia.
Brand Modi
Modi’s success may lie in his ability to market himself.
For someone in his seventies, Modi understands the new age media and leverages it well.
His social media statistics would have any influencer weeping with envy. He is the world’s most followed politician on Instagram and has 97.5 million followers on X and even has a monthly radio programme called Maan Ki Baath.
His popularity has contributed to India’s growing status as a major player in the global south.
The Himalayas and Meditation
During a recent conversation with American Podcaster Lex Fridman, Mr Modi spoke about his two-year journey in the Himalayas.
“It was a new experience, a world shaped by mountains, ice and towering snow-covered peaks. All of this played a huge role in shaping me. It strengthened me from within and enabled me to discover my inner power,” he said.
Mr Modi said that this period of solitude and reflection in the majestic mountains contributed to his personal growth and resilience.
Mr Modi is reported to meditate and practice Yoga every day, and upon his recommendation, the United Nations adopted a Resolution on December 11, 2014, to observe June 21 as International Yoga Day. Since then, millions of people have been participating in Yoga sessions throughout the world, with all Indian Diplomatic Missions organising and supporting events.
Vineeta Rao is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
