US President Donald Trump on Friday sought to clarify his recent social media remarks about “losing India and Russia to China,” stressing that he does not believe that has actually happened. He also affirmed his friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling India-US ties a “very special relationship” and asserting that there is “nothing to worry about”.
Speaking to new agency ANI during a White House press interaction, Trump expressed frustration over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil while underscoring the steep tariffs the United States has imposed on Indian imports.
On being questioned about his Truth Social post earlier on Friday where he mentioned “losing India to China,” Trump responded, “I don’t think we have. I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia. I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India—50 per cent, very high tariff. I get along very well with (PM) Modi as you know. He was here a couple of months ago, in fact, we went to the Rose Garden and had a press conference.”
Trump’s clarification came just days after India, Russia, and China shared the stage at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin. Shortly after the meeting, he posted on Truth Social: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
The comment drew further attention on Friday when Peter Navarro, Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing, levelled sharp criticism against India, accusing New Delhi of profiting from discounted Russian oil while asserting that India’s high tariffs were costing “American jobs.”
‘I’ll Always Be Friends With PM Modi’
Donald Trump also spoke about his ties with India and PM Modi and asserted that there was nothing to worry about since the two nations will always remain friends and share a “very special relationship”. However, he expressed that he is disappointed with what PM Modi is doing.
When asked by ANI, “Are you ready to reset relations with India at this point?”, US President Trump said, “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”.
When asked by the media about the status of trade negotiations with India and other nations where agreements are still pending, Trump said the discussions were progressing positively. However, he voiced dissatisfaction with the European Union’s recent penalties on Google.
“They are going great. Other countries are doing great. We are doing great with all of them. We’re upset with the European Union over what’s happening with not just Google but with all of our big countries,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, is yet to respond directly to Trump’s latest remarks involving India, Russia, and China.
Currently, Washington has imposed tariffs of 50 per cent on several Indian goods, including a 25 per cent penalty tied specifically to crude oil imports from Russia. The Indian government has previously maintained that its partnerships with any nation are based on mutual interests and should not be seen through the lens of a third country.
