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Donald Trump said in a social media post that India was lost to"darkest" China, however, later he backtracked his statement, saying he did not believe that has happened.
US President Donald Trump on Friday backtracked on his “lost India to China" remark on social media and said that he does not believe the same has taken place.
Responding to a question during a press briefing at the White House, Trump seemed to soften his tone against India, which he has targeted in recent weeks for continued Russian oil purchase, and said that he has been “very disappointed" with New Delhi for energy ties with Moscow. He, however, added that he still gets along well with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I don’t think we have. I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia. I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India- 50 per cent, a very high tariff. I get along very well with (PM) Modi, as you know. He was here a couple of months ago; in fact, we went to the Rose Garden and had a press conference," he said.
He lauded PM Modi and said that he will always be “friends" with him and there is “nothing to worry about" in the India-US relations, which have seen strained ties due to 50% tariffs imposed by him for New Delhi’s decision to continue buying Russian oil.
“I always will, I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister, he is great… I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment, but India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about," he said.
Trump’s ‘Lost India To China’ Post
Earlier in the day, he posted a picture of PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping and captioned it, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! President Donald J. Trump."
His remarks came days after PM Modi and Putin travelled to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, where they were seen sharing a laugh and having a chat together. PM Modi also held separate bilateral meetings with Xi and Putin. He also travelled in Putin’s vehicle with the President to the venue of the bilateral meeting.
The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on Trump’s “lost India to China" post, however, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal affirmed that New Delhi “continues to remain engaged with the US side on trade issues".
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First Published:
September 06, 2025, 07:08 IST
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