US President Donald Trump’s latest statement has once again created an atmosphere of discussion in India-US relations. Trump addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “great friend” and claimed that he had received assurance from Modi to stop buying oil from Russia, adding that he “does not want to ruin Modi’s political career.” However, India has strictly rejected this claim.
The Ministry of External Affairs clarified that there was no discussion on this issue between Prime Minister Modi and Trump. Ministry spokesperson RanDhir Jaiswal said India’s energy policy is based on national interest and consumer welfare, with the aim of maintaining stability in energy supply and prices amid global volatility.
This statement of Trump has come at a time when America is continuously objecting to India’s oil purchase from Russia. After the Ukraine war, India had increased oil imports from Russia at cheap prices, which reduced the country’s energy costs and controlled inflation. At the same time, India is now increasing oil supply from America, Middle East, Africa and South America so that there is no dependence on any one country.
Contradictions were also visible in Trump’s statements. While on one hand he called Modi a “great and strong leader”, he also claimed that India had a new leader every year. Which is factually wrong. Experts believe that these statements of Trump are part of the strategy to woo Indian-American voters before the upcoming US elections. Some analysts also say that Trump is angry that Prime Minister Modi has not given him public support for the Nobel Peace Prize.
It is noteworthy that Trump had recently claimed that he had prevented a possible war between India and Pakistan “by imposing tariffs”. India has also rejected this claim and said that it had stopped the action not under any external pressure but as per its strategic decision.