NATO chief claims Modi asked Putin for Ukraine update post US tariffs
Mark Rutte says Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs on India pushed Modi to question Putin on Ukraine as US pressure grows over Russian oil trade
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on India are having “immediate impacts” on Russia, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking Russian President Vladimir Putin about his strategy in Ukraine, as India was getting hit by the 50 per cent tariffs from the US.
The NATO chief told CNN during an interview on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York that President Trump was implementing what he had promised, adding that so far, he was not happy as the US still had not been able to stop the war in Ukraine. Rutte also said that Trump was working on the issue.
‘Trump implementing what he said’
“That big one on India. This immediately impacts Russia. It means Delhi is on the phone with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Narendra Modi asking him, ‘I support you, but could you please explain to me your strategy because I have now been hit by these 50 per cent tariffs by the United States',” said Rutte.
“So President Trump is implementing what he says. But of course, we are not happy that so far we have not been able to end the war and he is working on it now,” he added.
However, so far, the government has not reacted to Rutte’s remarks.
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Russian oil and Trump’s tariffs
Rutte’s remarks come days after Trump at the UNGA session labelled India and China as the “primary funders” of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The US President has been irked with India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which he claims was being used by Moscow to fund its war in Ukraine.
Apart from the earlier 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs, Trump has also imposed 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs on India, taking the cumulative tariff rate on Indian goods to 50 per cent. New Delhi has described the move as “unjustified” with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar pointing out that it was not India, but China, which is the largest oil purchaser from Russia.
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‘US doesn’t want to punish India’
However, recently, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said that the Trump administration does not want to punish India, but its primary goal is to end the war in Ukraine.
Describing India as an “awesome ally of the United States”, Wright said that New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil is the “key point of friction” between Washington and New Delhi, adding that the US was keen on expanding energy trade with India.