US President Donald Trump appeared to soften his previous remarks suggesting the United States had ‘lost’ India to China.
Speaking at a White House press conference on Friday, Trump stated, “I don’t think we have,” when asked about the comment.
He reiterated that he gets ‘along very well’ with Prime Minister Narendra Modi but expressed frustration over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
“I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil and let them know that we put a very big tariff on India, 50 per cent tariff, very hot tariff,” Trump noted.
Earlier on Friday, Trump had posted a photograph of PM Modi alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the social media platform Truth Social.
He claimed that China had gained influence over India and Russia, and added, “May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
These statements come amid a broader wave of criticism from Trump’s administration and supporters.
White House adviser Peter Navarro repeated his allegations, claiming India’s high tariffs ‘cost US jobs’.
Meanwhile, Trump aide Laura Loomer suggested the administration was ‘considering blocking US IT companies from outsourcing their work to Indian companies’, without offering evidence.
In a separate interview with Bloomberg, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke about India’s trade and energy policies. He indicated that the country must reconsider its approach.
He said India ‘doesn’t yet want to open their market’ and urged the country to reduce Russian oil imports and reconsider its BRICS participation, warning of a potential 50 per cent tariff.
Lutnick described India’s growing share of Russian crude in its oil imports as plain wrong.
Responding to the US stance, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman confirmed that New Delhi will continue purchasing Russian oil.
“Where we buy our oil from. We will have to take a call on what suits us best,” she said, emphasising that India ‘will undoubtedly be buying’ despite US pressure.
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