(Image source from: x.com/WhiteHouse)
US President Donald Trump mentioned that America has "lost India and Russia to China," while sharing a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping walking together during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. "Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deep, dark China. I hope they have a long and successful future together!" Donald Trump shared on his Truth Social account, ending the message with his name. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated they had no comment on his statements. These remarks came after PM Modi had discussions with both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during the SCO summit, which is the largest in the organization's history, hosted by China with 10 member countries and 20 invited leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In his opening statements, Xi Jinping urged the SCO to "protect regional peace and stability" and to "unite the strength of the Global South."
Donald Trump's post shows increasing tensions with India regarding trade, as his administration has put a 25% reciprocal tariff on Indian products and an extra 25% tax related to India's purchase of Russian oil, totaling 50%—one of the highest tariffs globally. He has frequently claimed that India is "supporting Russia's violent actions in Ukraine" by buying discounted oil, while the US has avoided imposing direct sanctions on Moscow. In another post this week, Donald Trump called the US-India trade relationship a "one-sided disaster," stating that India sold "huge quantities of goods" to the US but bought "very little" in return. He also criticized India's dependence on Russian oil and military supplies, mentioning it acquired "very little from the US."
