US President Donald Trump mentioned India in two key contexts in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that lasted just under an hour in New York on Tuesday — both apparent attacks on New Delhi’s positions.. . Continue..Reading. .
The first mention was a repeat of his claim that he “stopped a war” between India and Pakistan, counting it among seven such cases — something he’s done over three dozen times so far, though never at the biggest global stage of diplomacy.
He sought the Nobel Peace Prize for it, again. India has maintained it chose to stop Operation Sindoor after Pakistan’s request, not on US cue.
Trump’s second mention of India was more acerbic, and somewhat surprising given the recent revival of trade talks after renewed bonhomie between Trump and PM Narendra Modi.
Links India, China to war in Ukraine
“China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war (in Ukraine) by continuing to purchase Russian oil,” Trump said.
He also urged European nations to dial up sanctions on Russia and those who buy from it, including some countries in Europe. He has called such purchases “the engine feeding Putin’s war machine” in the past too. Trump said a “very strong round of powerful tariffs… would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly”.
In August he put an additional 25% levy on Indian imports, doubling overall tariffs to 50%, to pressure New Delhi to end its oil deals with Moscow.
India has argued that it’ll continue to buy for better prices, and that the US had at one point — even after Russia attacked Ukraine — encouraged it to buy Russian oil to keep global prices low.
China has so far been spared major punitive tariffs. Trump even spoke to President Xi Jinping last Friday as talks for a trade agreement continue between the two superpowers.
Rubio sticks to India’s oil purchases, speaks of more sanctions
With India, stopping Russian oil purchases remains the main issue while there’s “a lot of progress” in the talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier on Tuesday.
The US President is considering even more sanctions to squeeze Russian revenues to stop the Ukraine war, he further said.
Trump has tried mediating in that war, even hosted Vladimir Putin in Alaska, but his efforts haven’t shown results. Admittedly frustrated, he has blamed Putin and alleged stubbornness on the part of Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
His blaming India for the war, though, is a break from the more recent tone of relative reconciliation, including a birthday call to “my good friend” Modi.
Modi and his government have avoided confrontational rhetoric despite provocative statements over the past few months by Trump, his cabinet members such as commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, and advisors such as Peter Navarro.
Yet another Trump turn after change of tone
After Modi and Trump exchanged words of admiration earlier this month, talks resumed. Even India’s Vice President CP Radhakrishnan mentioned recently that “Trump continues to say, ‘Modi is my great friend’”.
Modi faced taunts about his “friendship” with Trump when a high fee of $100,000 on H-1B work visa, used mostly by Indian engineers, was imposed last week.
PM Modi has chosen not to speak directly on any of these matters, instead responding with an appeal to Indians to buy more “swadeshi” or local products.
But former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor, a leader from the main opposition party Congress, sought to see everything in balance. He pointed towards Trump’s “mercurial” nature to theorise: “If he could be unpredictable in a negative direction for us earlier this year, he might turn out to be unpredictably positive to us in the months and years ahead.”If You’re Reading From Phoenix Click On Read Original To Read Full Article
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