New Delhi, Sep 5: US President Donald Trump reacted sharply to the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared together in a show of solidarity.
Posting on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote: “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.” He also shared a photograph of Modi, Putin and Xi walking together in formal attire, underscoring his criticism of the deepening ties.
Xi hosted Modi and Putin in Tianjin earlier this week for the SCO summit, marking Modi’s first visit to China in seven years.
The meeting drew global attention as the three leaders were seen in relaxed body language. Trump’s comments come amid strained trade ties between Washington and New Delhi. Since returning to office, he has imposed combined tariffs of 50% on Indian goods, 25% reciprocal duties and an additional 25% on imports linked to Russian oil. The White House has accused India of disproportionately benefiting from the relationship, while Trump has repeatedly claimed India’s purchases of discounted Russian crude help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine. New Delhi has pushed back against such charges. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently argued that Washington applies a double standard, noting that both China and the European Union continue to import significant volumes of Russian energy. India, however, wants to maintain relations with all the important countries, including the US.
