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New Delhi: In a cryptic post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that Washington had "lost" India to China. He shared a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
His post read: "Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together."
Trump's remarks came after PM Modi travelled to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where he held bilateral meetings with both Xi and Putin. Images of the three leaders together were widely circulated on social media, including in the United States.
Although the SCO summit had been scheduled well in advance, Prime Minister Modi's visit to China after a gap of seven years coincided with Trump's imposition of steep tariffs on Indian goods -- 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent penalty linked to India's purchase of Russian crude oil.
The optics and timing did not go unnoticed. Several Western commentators argued that Trump's tariff policy risked driving India closer to Russia and China. While India and Russia have traditionally maintained strong ties -- once again evident at the summit when PM Modi and President Putin travelled together in the Russian leader's car and held a 45-minute discussion en route to their bilateral venue -- it was PM Modi's engagement with Xi that drew the most attention.
As China has increasingly positioned itself as Washington's main strategic rival, expanding its global influence through the Belt and Road Initiative and development loans across Asia and Africa.
Trump's suggestion that the US has "lost" Russia, however, is more complex. Washington and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Although Trump previously met Putin in Alaska to discuss the conflict, observers remain sceptic about any prospect of peace.
When asked about Trump's comments, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "I have no comments to offer on this post at this time." On ties with China, however, he added that "there is a positive momentum".
