‘Will always be friends with Modi’: Trump says nothing to worry about after ‘lost India to China’ remark

Trump also expressed his disappointment with New Delhi over its energy purchases from Moscow. “I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia, and I’ve let them know–with the 50 per cent tariff,” he said. He added, “But I get along very well with Modi, as you know. He was here a couple of months ago. We went to the Rose Garden…”

Journalist: Who do you blame for losing India to China?

Trump: Well I don’t think we have lost them. I’m disappointed that India is buying Russian oil and I’ve let them know with the 50% tariff. But I get along very well with Modi. pic.twitter.com/34zgzGcG4E

— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) September 5, 2025

Earlier post of ‘losing India to China’

Trump’s remarks came a day after he posted on his social media platform Truth Social: “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 had also shared an old photo of Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The post followed visible friendliness among Modi, Xi and Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

Differences over Russian oil purchase

India has maintained that Modi travelled to Tianjin – his first visit to China in seven years – to attend the SCO summit where he also held bilateral meetings with Xi and Putin.

Trump had been targeting India for a month before the Tianjin gathering – on July 30, he announced the imposition of 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, and followed it a week later by announcing an additional 25 per tariff over Indian purchase of Russian oil.

Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman said on Friday that New Delhi will continue to buy oil from Moscow as India’s oil purchases are driven by economic and commercial considerations.

“Whether it is Russian oil or anything else, it’s our decision to buy from the place which suits our needs… So, where we buy our oil from…we will have to take a call which (supply source) suits us the best. So, we will undoubtedly be buying it,” Sitharaman said in an interview with television news channel CNN-News18.

India has categorically rejected the US charge of funding the Russian war machine, and says it has bought oil to cushion its citizens from the inflationary impact of rising energy prices, even stabilising the global energy supply. It has called the imposition of tariffs as “unjustified”, pointing out that China and Europe have also been buying energy from Russia without being penalised.

Calling the Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war”, Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro had accused India of being an “oil money laundromat for the Kremlin”.

(With inputs from PTI)