US president's remarks cannot but be embarrassing for Modi; MEA statement avoids mentioning Trump directly and goes completely silent on his Russian oil claim
The government has responded, through a general statement by the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), to US President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assured” him that India “will not be buying oil from Russia. That is a big stop”.
Trump was addressing a media briefing at the White House on Wednesday (October 15). He went on to add that India cannot stop buying oil “immediately”. “It has to be a little bit of a process,” he explained, but, significantly, went on to assert “that the process is going to be over with soon”.
Trump-Modi meeting imminent?
The US president was asked two questions on India. The first was raised in the background of Chinese curbs on exports of rare earths, and, in this context, Trump considered India as “reliable” and also whether he would meet Modi in Kuala Lumpur. Both leaders are expected to be in the Malaysian capital for the ASEAN summit and related meetings. These are scheduled to be held from October 26 to October 28.
Also read: India says no call between Modi and Trump, refuting claim on Russian oil
In response to this question, Trump said that Modi was a great man and indicated that a meeting between them would take place. However, he did not say so categorically. From here, he went on to remark that Modi had assured him “today” that India would stop buying Russian oil.
Trump’s remarks at the White House media briefing cannot but be embarrassing for Modi. Also, they leave some relevant points unanswered, and it is noteworthy that the MEA statement does not clarify them either.
The second question addressed to Trump was related to what Sergio Gor, the US Ambassador (designate) to India, and Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, had reported to him about his recent visit to India. During this visit, Gor also met Modi. While answering this question, Trump again repeated that India would stop buying Russian oil. But he also said that Modi, a friend, “loved” Trump.
Having revealed that, Trump said that what he revealed should not result in destroying Modi’s political career. He also stated that before Modi, India had numerous prime ministers, who only had short terms in office.
Also read: Rahul slams PM Modi after Trump’s claim on India stopping Russian oil imports
While answering another question during this media briefing, Trump repeated that his intervention had stopped India-Pakistan military action. He recalled Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the White House and said that Sharif had told him that he had helped save millions of lives. This was obviously a reference to Trump stopping what could have developed into a nuclear war.
At Trump’s prompting, Sharif had made an obsequious speech in favour of the US president at Sharm-el-Sheikh on the occasion of the ceasefire in Gaza. This was on October 13.
What Trump's remarks mean
Taken together, Trump’s remarks at the White House media briefing cannot but be embarrassing for Modi. Also, they leave some relevant points unanswered, and it is noteworthy that the MEA statement does not clarify them either. It would be best to list out all these points. They are:
Also read: Shehbaz Sharif by his side, Trump praises 'great friend' Modi at Egypt summit
1. Trump did not clarify how Modi “assured” him on October 15 that India would stop buying Russian oil through what would be a gradual but speedy process. The MEA statement has also bypassed if and how contact between the two leaders had taken place.
It is noteworthy that External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to a media query later on October 16, commented: "As per my information, there was no phone conversation between PM Modi and President Trump yesterday."
Not only the Opposition parties but also Russia will observe if what Trump has claimed is correct.
2. Trump has reiterated countless times that Modi is a friend, but, on this occasion, went further to add that he loves Trump. Realising that this could politically damage the Indian prime minister, he quickly added that by saying this, he did not want any political harm to come to Modi. Knowing Trump’s ways, it is unlikely that the Opposition parties will seek to use this remark of Trump to target Modi. However, this is one remark that Modi could have done without.
3. Trump is obviously not fully aware of recent Indian political history. Perhaps he does not even care. If he had even a basic knowledge of Indian political developments, he would have known that India has had only three prime ministers since 1998. These have been Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998-2004), Manmohan Singh (2004-2014) and Narendra Modi since 2014.
Also read: Khawaja Asif alleges India’s role in Pakistan-Afghanistan clash
During the same period, the US has had five presidents — Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Trump and Joe Biden. Hence, it would seem that Trump’s aides do not care to tell him that Indian prime ministers have had long innings for over 27 years.
4. Trump also repeated that he had mediated between India and Pakistan to end the armed hostilities in May. Pakistan is constantly feeding him this has been so. It is also now quite openly saying that the conflict could have become nuclear. India has been ignoring this point. Modi has sought to ensure that he does not offend Trump through his own remarks or through the statements of the MEA. He has followed the tactic of stating India’s position in general terms and also insisting that Indian interests will be ensured. Diplomatically, such an approach does not harm Indian interests.
MEA avoids mentioning Trump directly
The MEA statement did not even mention Trump directly and was completely silent on his claim that India will stop buying Russian oil. All it stressed was that India will “safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scene”.
Also read: Trump's tariffs bite India, exports to US fell by 12 pc in September
It also stated that the objective of India’s energy policy was “ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies”. For the latter, it was “broad-basing” energy sourcing and “diversifying” to meet market conditions. After enunciating these obvious principles, it made an indirect reference to Trump when it said that India-US energy cooperation has “steadily progressed” in the last decade. It then revealed that discussions on energy cooperation are going on between India and the US.
A fresh chance to Rahul Gandhi
Trump’s comments gave an opportunity to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to seek to embarrass Modi. He said the Indian prime minister fears the US president. It is probable that the Congress party will once again charge Modi for not directly refuting Trump’s claims on mediating between India and Pakistan. It will be interesting to observe how India, one of the world’s largest importers of energy, sources oil in the next few months.
Also read: India open to more US crude imports, says commerce secretary
Currently, India is importing around 34 per cent of its oil needs from Russia. This comes to around 1.6 million barrels per day. India’s state refiners have reduced imports of Russian oil in the past three months, but not the private refining companies. The benefits of importing Russian oil are declining because preferential margins have reduced. Currently, they stand at around US 2 per barrel.
Russia will watch closely
Not only the Opposition parties but also Russia will observe if what Trump has claimed is correct. That is why Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, said on Thursday (October 16) that Russia is “India’s most reliable energy partner”. He also pointed to India-Russia cooperation in the civil nuclear sector. Indian oil diplomacy will have to be nimble in the coming months. Statistics of oil imports will matter, and not the kind of general statement made by the MEA today.
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