Very disappointed: Donald Trump slams India on Russian oil, highlights personal bond with PM Modi

US President Donald Trump says he is “very disappointed” that India continues to purchase large volumes of oil from Russia, adding that his administration had imposed “a very big tariff” on New Delhi in response.

“I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India. 50 per cent tariff, very high tariff,” Trump told reporters when asked about his earlier post suggesting Washington had “lost” India to China.

Despite his criticism, Trump underlined his personal relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I get along very well with Modi, as you know. He’s great. He was here a couple of months ago,” Trump said.

This comes just after Trump shared a picture of PM Modi on his Truth Social, where he is seen with Putin and Jinping at the Tianjin meet.

He also recalled a light moment from Modi’s recent White House visit. “We went to the Rose Garden and it was, the grass was so soaking wet. Such a terrible place to have a news conference. I said, let’s use a beautiful white stone emblematic of the White House, okay? And it’s been very well received,” Trump recounted.

“But we had a news conference on the grass. That was my last news conference I had on the grass, because everybody sunk in. You probably sunk in, every reporter out there. They ruined their shoes. We made that change. It’s been a really well-received change.”

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