Trump : claims India “cut” its purchases of Russian oil and refers to PM Modi as a “good man.”
Trump: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received plaudits from US President Donald Trump, who referred to him as a “good man” for “cutting down” the purchase of Russian oil.Modi’s a really nice guy, “Trump told reporters on Air Force One, while on his way back to the White House from West Palm Beach in Florida on Sunday (local time).”In response to a query, he said, “He’s a good guy.”
Trump said that after realizing Washington’s disapproval of ongoing Russian energy imports, New Delhi changed its stance. Trump remarked, “He knew I was not happy and it was important to make me happy,” referring to Prime Minister Modi.Basically, they (Indians) tried to make me happy. (PM) Modi is an excellent guy. He is a nice man, really. He wanted to make me happy because he knew I wasn’t. When Senator Lindsey Graham, who was traveling with him on Air Force One, first replied to a question, Trump added, “They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on that very quickly.”
Graham said that India had already drastically cut down on its imports of Russian oil as a result of US tariff pressure, confirming the efficacy of tariffs as a foreign policy instrument and undermining Moscow’s capacity to continue its war effort in Ukraine.
Graham gave Trump’s 25% tax on India for purchasing Russian petroleum credit in an interview with reporters, claiming the action had yielded noticeable outcomes.”I firmly think that his actions with India are the main cause of India’s current significant decrease in its purchases of Russian oil,” he said.
The president issued a warning that if nations change their minds, tariff pressure may rise swiftly. Trump said, “We can raise tariffs on them very quickly,” and he added that the United States still has significant trade power.
According to Graham, his bill would provide the President broad power to levy tariffs on nations that continue to purchase Russian energy at a discount.We’re attempting to give the President the power to make that a difficult decision if you’re purchasing cheap Russian oil to keep Putin’s war machine running,” Graham said.
With 85 co-sponsors, the measure, according to Graham, would permit tariffs ranging from 0% to 5%, completely at the president’s discretion. According to him, the strategy has already produced outcomes.Graham said, “I was at the Indian ambassador’s house about a month ago, and he only wanted to talk about how they’re buying less Russian oil.”This thing is effective,” Graham said.
Trump compared his strategy to that of the Biden administration, which he said was sending Ukraine enormous amounts of money. “Biden gave $350 billion,” Trump said. “Now we get paid.”