‘Lost India, Russia to China’, says Trump, wishes ‘long and prosperous future’

“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The remark came days after Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The three leaders discussed cooperation in areas including energy and security, at a time when all remain at odds with Washington over the war in Ukraine and global trade policy.

SCO Summit and Strained US-India Relations

The summit marked PM Modi’s first visit to China in seven years, significant given the lingering tensions since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. By meeting Xi and Putin, Modi signalled India’s emphasis on strategic autonomy rather than alignment with any single bloc.

Trump’s comments also underline a cooling in US-India ties. During his first term, he appeared with Modi at the 2019 “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston and revived the Quad with Japan and Australia. However, recent tariff measures and criticism of India’s energy trade with Russia have strained relations.

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Since returning to office, Trump has imposed combined tariffs of 50 per cent on Indian goods — a 25 per cent reciprocal duty and an additional 25 per cent levy targeting India’s Russian oil imports. He argued that trade has been “a totally one-sided disaster,” adding, “India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US.”

The energy trade has become a flashpoint. Trump accused India of financing Moscow’s war in Ukraine by purchasing discounted Russian crude. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has countered that the US has not applied the same standards to China or the European Union, which also remain significant importers of Russian energy.