New Delhi, October 28: United States President Donald Trump has turned down India's invitation to be the chief guest for Republic day 2019 celebrations, Times of India reported. According to the report, the US authorities sent a letter to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval conveying the message of the US President.

In the letter, Trump has regretted his non-availability to attend the Republic Day day celebrations of India on January 26, due to his domestic commitments. Earlier in April, India has officially sent the Republic day invite to the US president. The US officials have confirmed that they received the invite, but said the decision will be taken after the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in September. US President Donald Trump Praises India as Free Society, Successfully Lifting Millions Out of Poverty.

This comes after the ties between the two countries have been under a lot of strain because of India's defence purchase from the United States rival Russia and the oil imports from Iran. Earlier US has given the November 4 deadline to all its allies to bring down imports from Iran to zero, but India continued to import oil.

According to TOI report, India is so keen to host Trump that they are considering another set of dates for visit in the month of February to avoid a clash with the State of the Union (SOTU).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2018 09:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).