India rejects as ‘baseless’ Nato chief’s remarks about Modi-Putin talks
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Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte spoke in an interview with CNN about the US' doubling of tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent owing to India’s purchases of Russian oil.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
- India refuted NATO chief's claim of Modi phoning Putin about US tariffs on Russian oil purchases as "incorrect and baseless".
- The Indian foreign ministry denied any such conversation occurred, dismissing the NATO secretary-general's CNN interview remarks as speculative.
- Despite US concerns, India defends buying discounted Russian oil, arguing it balances markets and accusing the West of double standards.
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NEW DELHI – India rejected as “incorrect and baseless” remarks by Nato’s chief that suggested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was contacting Russian President Vladimir Putin over the impact of punitive US tariffs on its purchases of Russian oil.
India’s Foreign Ministry called the remarks speculative and said on Sept 26 there was no such conversation.
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, in an interview with CNN, had spoken about US President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent
“This immediately impacts Russia because Delhi is now on the phone with Putin in Moscow, and Narendra Modi asks him, ‘Hey, I support you, but could you explain to me the strategy because I have now been hit by 50 per cent tariffs by the United States’,” Mr Rutte said, in the interview published on Sept 25.
“The statement is factually incorrect and entirely baseless,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told a regular briefing. “At no point has Prime Minister Modi spoken with President Putin in the manner suggested. No such conversation has taken place.”
In response to a request from Reuters, a Nato spokesperson said: “We have nothing further to add to what the Nato secretary-general said.”
India has taken advantage of discounts on Russian output to become the largest buyer of Russian seaborne crude since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump, who is seeking to broker an end to the Ukraine conflict, has said India’s oil imports were helping fund Moscow’s war effort.
New Delhi has said its purchases of Russian oil have kept the markets in balance and has accused the West of double standards because the European Union and the US still buy Russian goods worth billions of dollars. REUTERS
