Is Modi the Great PM Trump Claims Him to Be?

Washington, Sep 6 (NationPress) US President Donald Trump seemed to retreat from his earlier statement regarding the notion of "losing" India to China. During a press conference at the White House, Trump expressed, "I’ll always be friends" with Prime Minister Modi and referred to him as a great Prime Minister. Following this, on Saturday, Indian PM Modi responded by stating that he values and completely aligns with President Trump’s sentiments.

“He’s a great Prime Minister. He’s wonderful. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t appreciate what he is doing at this point. However, India and the United States share a unique relationship. There is nothing to be concerned about. We just have some disagreements occasionally,” he added.

Shortly after Trump’s remarks, PM Modi took to his X handle to state, "I deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s positive evaluation of our relationship. India and the US maintain a highly positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership."

PM Modi’s comments followed President Trump’s optimistic response to a question about whether he blamed anyone for "losing India to China," to which he stated, "I don’t think we have."

President Trump also conveyed that he gets along very well with Prime Minister Modi but expressed disappointment over India’s decision to purchase oil from Russia.

“I've been very disappointed that India would be buying such a large quantity of oil from Russia, and I’ve made it clear that we imposed a substantial 50 percent tariff on India, a very high tariff,” he remarked.

Earlier that day, Trump shared a photo of PM Modi alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that India and Russia seemed to be "lost" to China.

“It looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to the deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!" he shared on Truth Social.

These comments come amid a surge of heightened rhetoric against India from his administration and supporters.

White House Advisor Peter Navarro reiterated accusations on Friday, claiming in a post on X that India’s "high tariffs are costing US jobs."

Trump’s aide, Laura Loomer, suggested on X that the administration is considering preventing US IT firms from outsourcing work to Indian companies, although she provided no evidence for this claim.

In a Bloomberg interview on Friday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that the "US is always open to dialogue," but appeared to establish preconditions for India.

“India doesn’t want to open their market yet. They need to stop purchasing Russian oil, right? And cease being part of BRICS, right? They are the vowel between Russia and China. If that's the path they choose, so be it. But they must support the dollar, back the United States of America, and support their largest client, which is the American consumer, or they will face a 50 percent tariff. Let’s see how long this lasts,” he added.

He also expressed US opposition to India's increasing share of Russian crude oil in its imports, labeling it as "plain wrong."

On Friday, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman confirmed that India will persist in purchasing Russian oil.

“We will have to assess what suits us best regarding our oil purchases, especially for a significant foreign exchange item where we invest so much. We will undoubtedly continue our purchases,” she indicated in an interview with News18.