US President Donald Trump has expressed his disappointment with India for continuing to purchase large volumes of oil from Russia. His remarks came just hours after he claimed the United States had "lost" both India and Russia to China. He stated that in response to India’s actions, his administration had imposed a "very big tariff" on New Delhi.
When a reporter asked Trump whom he held responsible for "losing India to China," as he had asserted in an earlier social media post, the US President responded, "I don’t think we have. I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India. 50 per cent tariff, very high tariff."
Despite his criticism, Trump emphasised his personal relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, "I get along very well with Modi, as you know. He’s great. He was here a couple of months ago."
Trump calls PM Modi a 'Great Prime Minister'
The President also reaffirmed the "very special relationship" between India and the US, insisting that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will "always be friends" despite occasional disagreements. When asked by reporters if he was ready to reset relations with India, Trump replied, "I always will. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion."
Trump expressed optimism about ongoing trade negotiations with India and other countries, stating, "They are going great. Other countries are doing great. We are doing great with all of them."
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This public declaration comes after Trump posted a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Tianjin meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on his Truth Social account.
Days after the three leaders were spotted together at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, the US President made statements, including the claim that the US had "lost" India and Russia to "the darkest China." In the midst of the ongoing tariff war with the United States, many hailed the three leaders' unity as "a turning point" and "a new world order."
India has so far refrained from officially commenting on Trump's claim that New Delhi appeared to be aligning with Moscow and Beijing. When asked about the US President’s comments, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "I have no comments to offer on this post at this moment."
The India-US bilateral ties have recently reached their lowest point in years, particularly after the US imposed a 50pc tariff on New Delhi last month. The tariff included a 25pc base levy and an additional 25pc due to India's continued purchase of Russian oil.
Also Read: US has ‘lost’ India, Russia to ‘darkest China’: Donald Trump
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