After Trump jab, India’s Modi says ties with US still ‘very positive’

Indian leader’s remarks travel Trump reaffirming their idiosyncratic relationship and downplaying his earlier remarks astir ‘losing India’ to China.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says ties with the United States stay “very positive”, aft US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their idiosyncratic relationship and downplayed earlier remarks astir “losing India” to China.

“Deeply admit and afloat reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and affirmative appraisal of our ties,” Modi said successful a connection posted connected X connected Saturday, adding that India and the US “have a precise affirmative and forward-looking broad and planetary strategical partnership”.

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Strains person emerged betwixt the 2 longtime allies aft the Trump medication imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent connected Indian imports, accusing New Delhi of fuelling Moscow’s deadly attacks connected Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.

Speculation of a deepening rift further intensified erstwhile Trump remarked connected Friday that India, alongside Russia, seems to person been “lost” to China. This came aft Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a information acme successful China.

Earlier this week, Xi hosted much than 20 leaders of non-Western countries – including Modi and Putin – for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) acme successful the Chinese larboard metropolis of Tianjin. It was Modi’s archetypal sojourn to China successful 7 years, signalling a thaw betwixt the 2 Asian powers.

“Looks similar we’ve mislaid India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they person a agelong and prosperous aboriginal together!” Trump wrote successful a societal media post, with a photograph of Modi alongside Xi and Putin.

When asked by reporters aboriginal connected Friday astir his remarks, Trump downplayed his earlier statement, saying helium did not deliberation the US had mislaid India to China.

“I don’t deliberation we have,” helium said. “I’ve been precise disappointed that India would beryllium buying truthful overmuch oil, arsenic you know, from Russia. And I fto them cognize that.”

Trump insisted that helium “will ever beryllium friends with Modi”, adding that “India and the United States person a peculiar relationship“. “There is thing to interest about,” helium said.

Since his archetypal word successful office, Trump and Modi, some right-wing populists, person shared a beardown bond.

But recently, Trump besides appeared irritated astatine New Delhi arsenic helium sought recognition for what helium said was Nobel Prize-worthy diplomacy for brokering bid betwixt Pakistan and India pursuing the worst struggle successful decades betwixt the nuclear-armed neighbours successful May.

India, which adamantly rejects immoderate third-party mediation connected Kashmir, has since fixed the acold enarthrosis to Trump connected the matter.

Trump has besides been frustrated astatine his inability to person Russia and Ukraine to scope an extremity to their war, much than 3 years aft Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies