Trump says India and Russia appear ‘lost’ to ‘deepest, darkest China’
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US President Donald Trump earlier this week said he was “very disappointed” in Mr Putin, but not worried about growing Russia-China ties.
PHOTO: EPA
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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Sept 5 said India and Russia seem to have been “lost” to China after their leaders met with Chinese President Xi Jinping
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Mr Trump wrote in a social media post accompanying a photo of the three leaders together at Mr Xi’s summit in China.
Later on Sept 5, however, he told reporters he didn’t think the US had lost India to China. “I don’t think we have,” he said. “I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that.”
Asked about Mr Trump’s post, the Indian foreign ministry spokesman told reporters in New Delhi that he had no comment. Representatives for Beijing and Moscow could not be immediately reached for comment on Mr Trump’s post on his Truth Social platform.
Mr Xi hosted more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Putin and Mr Modi were seen holding hands at the summit as they walked toward Mr Xi before all three men stood side by side.
“I’ll always be friends with Modi,” Mr Trump told reporters on Sept 5. “He’s a great prime minister. He’s great. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he’s doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a special relationship. There’s nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion.”
Mr Trump has chilled US-India ties amid trade tensions and other disputes.
Mr Trump earlier this week said he was “very disappointed” in Mr Putin,
Mr Trump has been frustrated at his inability to convince Russia and Ukraine to reach an end to their war, more than three years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
He told reporters on the night of Sept 4 at the White House that he planned to talk to Mr Putin soon. REUTERS
