Trump Says US Has ‘Lost’ India and Russia to ‘Deepest, Darkest’ China

New Delhi : US President Donald Trump on Friday signalled a sharp downturn in Washington’s relations with New Delhi, declaring that America has “lost” India and Russia to China after the three leaders were seen together at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit, captioning it: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”

The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on Trump’s remarks during a press briefing on Friday.

The SCO Summit, hosted by Xi Jinping, marked Modi’s first visit to China in seven years. Modi and Xi held bilateral talks in which they agreed to “be friends, not rivals”, resolve border disputes and expand trade ties. Xi described it as “vital for the dragon and the elephant to come together”, signalling a thaw in ties that had remained strained since the Galwan clash of 2020.

The apparent bonhomie between Modi, Putin and Xi comes at a time when Trump has escalated a tariff war with India. The US recently slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, a 25 per cent base duty and an additional 25 per cent for India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. The Trump administration has accused India of “profiteering” from discounted Russian crude and indirectly fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine. India has rejected the charge, insisting that securing affordable energy is in the interest of Indian consumers.

Trump has also imposed punitive duties of up to 145 per cent on China, though those have been put on hold for 90 days. Analysts say the trade measures have pushed India closer to Russia and China, aligning with what India calls a “new era of multipolarism and multilateralism”.