Trump Attacks on India a Shock, But Does Not Bend Its Knee

Aug. 4—President Donald Trump’s threats last week of 25% tariffs and retaliation against India for its continuing purchases of Russian oil were evidently a shock to the nation. The subject dominated India’s External Affairs Ministry press conference on Aug. 1, with virtually every journalist asking for clarity on the government’s stance. The ministry’s spokesman, however, refused to say much, and attempted to skate a fine diplomatic line. He stressed that he has no comment on the subject other than that India maintains strong relations with the U.S., as well as shared values, and that it hopes the relations between the two nations continue to grow. On Russia, he was also very non-committal, saying: “The ties that we have with various countries, they stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country. As far as India-Russia relations are concerned, we have a steady and time-tested partnership.”

Of interest was one journalist’s question, who asked: “The opposition in the country at the moment is saying that we thought that Pakistan and China were the biggest problems for India, but now the opposition is saying that the U.S. has also emerged as a bigger trouble. They are calling India-U.S. relations a diplomatic failure because nothing has come out of ‘Namaste Trump’ or ‘Howdy Modi.’ So how do you address the allegations of a diplomatic failure from the opposition side?”

Over the weekend, many mainstream news outlets reported that anonymous Indian officials were saying that India will not stop its purchases of Russian oil, as it is their sovereign right. The New York Times Aug. 2 reported that two senior officials told them that there had been no change in Indian policy. The government had “not given any direction to oil companies” to cut back imports from Russia. Bloomberg and Reuters also carried similar reports from other officials they had spoken to.