Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday sought to strike a balance between reassurance and reproach in his comments on India, calling ties with New Delhi a “very special relationship” while also voicing deep displeasure over its oil imports from Russia and reluctance to bend to American trade demands. The remarks, which came after his controversial Truth Social post claiming the US had “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China,” highlight both the warmth and the strain defining Washington’s engagement with India under his administration.
When asked directly by ANI if he was ready to reset relations with India, Trump responded without hesitation that he always would. “I’ll always be friends with Modi. He’s a great Prime Minister. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment,” Trump said from the White House, underscoring his personal rapport with the Indian leader even as he expressed frustration with New Delhi’s policies. He added that the India-US partnership was solid, marked by moments of occasional disagreement but not by rupture.
At the heart of the current discord is India’s decision to continue purchasing discounted Russian crude oil despite US sanctions pressure, a move Trump described as “very disappointing.” He confirmed that Washington had slapped a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, calling it “a very high tariff” designed in part to penalize Russian oil transactions. Yet he reminded reporters that Modi had visited Washington only months earlier and that the two leaders had enjoyed a joint press conference in the Rose Garden, suggesting personal ties remain intact even as policy differences widen.
Trump’s remarks followed his sharp online critique earlier in the day, where he declared that the United States had effectively lost India and Russia to China. The post triggered a flurry of speculation about Washington’s strategic calculations, especially after the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, where leaders of India, Russia, and China appeared aligned on several issues. Asked to elaborate on the remark, Trump downplayed the idea of a permanent strategic loss, saying, “I don’t think we have,” but reiterated his displeasure with India’s choices on energy and trade.
Meanwhile, his administration’s economic team echoed his concerns in more uncompromising terms. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that India would eventually have to return to the negotiating table, predicting that in “a month or two months” New Delhi would “say they’re sorry and try to make a deal with Donald Trump.” He cautioned that unless India stopped buying Russian oil, opened its markets, and distanced itself from BRICS, it would have to pay tariffs that could cripple its exports. “Either support the dollar, support the United States of America, support your biggest client, or pay 50% tariffs. And let’s see how long this lasts,” Lutnick declared.
The pressure campaign was further sharpened by Trump’s senior economic advisors. Peter Navarro accused India of profiteering from sanctioned Russian crude, while White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett said the administration was “disappointed” that India continued to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine but hoped “for positive developments.” Together, the comments reflect Washington’s growing irritation with New Delhi’s determination to act independently on energy security.
India, however, has stood its ground. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a television interview that India would “undoubtedly continue” buying Russian oil, stressing that procurement decisions would be based on what best served India’s economic and logistical needs. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected US trade advisors’ remarks as “inaccurate and misleading,” while affirming that India remains engaged with Washington on trade disputes. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that the India-US relationship is a comprehensive global strategic partnership anchored in democratic values and robust people-to-people ties. “This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges,” he said, “and we remain focused on a substantive agenda.”
New Delhi has also pushed back against Washington’s punitive tariffs, calling them “unjustified and unreasonable.” Officials argue that as a major economy, India has every right to safeguard its national interests and economic security. “Where we buy our oil from, especially since it is a big-ticket foreign exchange item, is a call we will take based on what suits us best,” Sitharaman noted.
The unfolding dynamic reflects the paradox of India-US ties under Trump. On one hand, the US President insists there is “nothing to worry about” and that his friendship with Modi remains strong. On the other, his public warnings, steep tariffs, and rhetorical jabs underscore real tensions over energy policy and trade practices. With Trump entering a crucial phase of his second term and India charting an independent path that balances ties with Washington, Moscow, and Beijing, the road ahead for the partnership is likely to feature both moments of warmth and flashes of confrontation.
Ultimately, Trump’s dual message reassuring friendship alongside stern warnings captures the uneasy but enduring nature of the India-US relationship, where shared strategic interests coexist uneasily with clashing economic and geopolitical choices.