Is Indo-US relations really heading for a paradigm shift ... this time towards a negativity ?
Donald Trump could be interested for Nobel prize for Peace; but apparently he is doing just the opposite -- getting himself engaged in a confrontation mode with everyone across the globe.
A top aide to US President Donald Trump criticised India for buying Russian oil, accusing the country of indirectly funding Russia’s war in Ukraine. This comes as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on nations that continue purchasing oil from Moscow.
Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s most influential advisors, said that Trump clearly believes India should stop buying Russian oil.
"What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia," Miller said on Sunday Morning Futures.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the last man to remain sitting idle. He is unfazed and India's foreign policy engine room has set the Russia angle on for a possible 're-shaped' bond.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is expected to visit Moscow soon.
Modi's confidant NSA Ajtt Doval also could travel in early August.
This comes close on the heels of unprecedented remarks by Donald Trump, who called India and Russia “dead economies”.
Trump has already announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods along with penalties. He also warned of penalties for countries maintaining strategic trade ties with Russia.
India is playing the game of patience and cool. This is making Trump more frustrated.
Almost upping the ante, Trump's deputy chief of staff said,
"People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact."
Security tightened along a road in Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Amarnath Yatra in July, 2025 (snap- social media)
It is true India’s import of Russian crude has surged from just 0.2 per cent before the Ukraine war to nearly 40 per cent of its total oil purchases.
India is now Russia’s second-biggest buyer after China.
The new penalties announced by Trump against India are aimed at New Delhi's growing energy and defence ties with Moscow.
Despite the US pressure, India has shown no sign of stopping its purchases of oil from Russia.
India's Ministry of External Affairs has strongly countered certain 'fake reports' circulating on social media.
Taking to X, the fact check unit of the ministry has dismissed reports that India is reviewing US goods exempted from tariffs as it works towards a response to Trump's 25 percent bombshell on New Delhi. In another post, the MEA dismissed a report which claimed that India is reviewing its bilateral agreements with the United States and considering suspending them “if hostile economic policies continue.”
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