New Delhi: US President Donald Trump recently made a big statement saying that America has lost India and Russia to the influence of China. His statement was about the growing trade relations between India and Russia, especially the oil trade.
Trump said that he is disappointed that India is still buying a large amount of oil from Russia, while Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war.
Trump’s claim to impose a tariff on India
Unhappy with this situation, Trump said that he had informed India that he had objections to buying oil from Russia. According to him, this is the reason why he had imposed a heavy tariff, i.e., import duty, on India during his government, the rate of which was about 50 percent. Trump believes that this step was taken as a warning to India.
“We have lost India and Russia to China,” says US President Donald Trump
Trump’s relationship with PM Modi
Despite the criticism, Trump also made it clear that he has a very good personal relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He called PM Modi a “great guy” and also recalled that Modi had visited the US a few months ago. Trump also shared an anecdote from that visit when he and Modi went to the White House Rose Garden for a press conference but changed the venue due to rain.
Trump is ready to improve relations
When Trump was asked if he is ready to strengthen relations with India again, he replied in the affirmative. He said that Modi is his good friend and will remain so. However, he also added that he does not like some of India’s policies at the moment, but the relationship between India and America is strong and special, and there is nothing to worry about.
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Expressed hope on trade talks
Finally, Trump also said that America is having trade talks with many countries, including India, and their results are positive. However, he also admitted that currently there are some difficulties in India-US relations, but the situation may improve in the future.
It is clear from this statement of Donald Trump that he is worried about India’s growing closeness with Russia, especially regarding oil trade. However, he is a close friend of Prime Minister Modi and is ready to improve relations with India. His stance is definitely tough, but he also hopes to improve India-US relations in the future.