Trump calls ties with India a 'One-sided disaster' after Modi meets Xi, Putin

Dubai: As leaders of China, Russia, and India projected rare unity on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China, US President Donald Trump turned his fire on New Delhi, accusing it of exploiting America on trade while cozying up to Moscow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the summit to discuss global trade and the geopolitical fallout from US tariffs.

Their show of solidarity stood in stark contrast to Trump’s broadsides, delivered on Truth Social, where he described the US-India trade relationship as “a totally one-sided disaster.”

Trump also bristled at India’s surging purchases of Russian oil and defence equipment, dismissing any hope of a trade breakthrough with New Delhi. “They have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late,” he wrote. “They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!”

Key takeaways

• Trump claimed India offered to cut tariffs, but Delhi has made no such move.

• India now sources 37% of crude oil from Russia, up sharply from past trends.

• India-Russia trade hit $68.7 billion in 2024–25; exports just $5 billion.

• Target set to boost bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030.

• Expert: India aims for multi-alignment — “Russian cake and American pie.”

• Delhi hopes US tensions are temporary amid strategic autonomy push.

Despite Trump’s claims, Indian officials have made no such offer to slash duties. Instead, Delhi has doubled down on its energy ties with Moscow. India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, now buys around 37% of its crude from Russia — a dramatic shift from its historical reliance on Middle Eastern suppliers.

Russia accounted for $64 billion of India’s imports in the 2024–25 financial year, out of a record $68.7 billion in bilateral trade. Exports from India to Russia totaled only $5 billion, underscoring the imbalance. Both countries have pledged to push trade to $100 billion by 2030.

For Modi, his meeting with Putin reaffirmed India’s “strategic autonomy” and long-standing ties with Russia, even as New Delhi seeks to maintain robust relations with Washington.

“India prizes its old and reliable partners,” noted Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, international affairs expert at New Delhi’s Jindal School of International Affairs. “The present rough weather with the US is likely a temporary aberration. Then, India can return happily to having the Russian cake and eating the American pie as part of its multi-alignment strategy.”

As China and India emerge as key buyers of discounted Russian oil, and Putin deepens economic outreach eastward, the divide between Washington and New Delhi may widen further — unless both sides find a way to bridge tariffs, energy, and geopolitics.