Denying his earlier claim that the United States had “lost” India to China, President Donald Trump said he does not believe the relationship is lost. Responding to a journalist’s question on Friday (September 5), Trump said, “Well, I don’t think we’ve lost them. I’m disappointed that India is buying Russian oil, and I’ve let them know—with the 50 percent tariff.”
Trump added that his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains cordial. “But I get along very well with Modi, as you know. He was here a couple of months ago. We went to the Rose Garden…”
The remarks came hours after Trump posted on his Truth Social that they might have “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.” In the post, he added, “May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
This comes amid US’ disapproval of India’s Russian oil purchases. Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman said on Friday that New Delhi will continue to buy oil from Moscow as India’s oil purchases are driven by economic and commercial considerations.
“Whether it is Russian oil or anything else, it’s our decision to buy from the place which suits our needs whether in terms of rates, logistics, anything. So, where we buy our oil from, especially (it) being a big-ticket foreign exchange-related item where we pay so much…we will have to take a call which (supply source) suits us the best. So, we will undoubtedly be buying it,” Sitharaman said in an interview with television news channel CNN-News18.
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