Trump says India, Russia ‘lost’ to ‘darkest China’. New Delhi says no comments
MEA said it “obviously rejected” Trump aide Peter Navarro’s remarks criticising India over Russian oil, describing them as “inaccurate and misleading”
NEW DELHI: India on Friday declined to respond to US President Donald Trump’s remarks that New Delhi appeared to have moved closer to Moscow and Beijing, even as it rejected White House trade advisor Peter Navarro’s tirade against the country over Russian oil purchases as “inaccurate and misleading”.
Against the backdrop of growing strains in India-US relations over the US president’s decision to double tariffs on Indian goods with a 25% punitive levy over the procurement of Russian energy, Trump again targeted India in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where he was seen with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump said in a social media post that attached a photo of Xi, Putin and Modi walking together at the venue of the SCO Summit in Tianjin.
When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about Trump’s remarks at a regular weekly media briefing, he replied: “I have no comments to offer on this post at this moment.”
Jaiswal responded to another question about Navarro’s remarks criticising India over Russian oil purchases by saying: “We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr Navarro and obviously reject them.”
Navarro, who is among the most strident critics of India in the Trump administration, recently said it was a “shame” to see Modi in the company of “authoritarians” such as Xi and Putin at the SCO Summit. He has accused India of being an “oil money laundromat for the Kremlin” and contended that India’s policy of buying Russian weaponry while urging US defence firms to transfer sensitive military technologies amounts to “strategic freeloading”.
He has also claimed that India uses dollars earned from trading with the US to “buy discounted Russian crude”, which is then refined and sold on the international market, thus helping Russia to fund its war in Ukraine. Navarro has even referred to the conflict in Ukraine as “Modi’s war” – remarks that did not go down well in New Delhi.
India-US ties are currently facing strains not witnessed in about two decades over the trade and tariff policies of the Trump administration, especially the 25% additional levy on Russian oil purchases. India earlier described the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable” and questioned why it was singled out at a time when China is buying more Russian energy.
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People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that India’s response to Trump’s critical remarks, especially his social media posts, had been restrained and responsible. This, they said, was part of the effort to focus on maintaining the substantial partnership painstakingly built up by the two countries over the past two decades in crucial areas such as defence and security, trade and technology.
Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s stance that the focus should remain on the “substantive agenda” that the two sides are committed to. “This relationship between the US and India is very important for us. Both our countries…share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in our shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties,” he said.
“This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to, and we hope that the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests,” he said.
In this context, Jaiswal pointed to the fortnight-long Yudh Abhyas 2025 bilateral military exercise currently being conducted by the Indian and US armies in Alaska and a recent virtual meeting of senior officials under the 2+2 format that brings together the defence and foreign ministries of the two countries. He also said a US delegation visited India for a meeting under the Defence Policy Group mechanism.
“These contacts are on and we are committed to strengthening the partnership,” he said.
India has defended its purchases of Russian oil and military hardware, saying these procurements are driven by energy security and national interest. India began buying discounted Russian oil after Western countries imposed sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Consequently, Russia’s share in India’s energy imports rose from 1.7% share in 2019-20 to almost 40% in 2024-25.
