US President Donald Trump dismissed any suggestion of US deep state involvement in the ongoing Bangladesh crisis, making it clear that the matter would be handled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I’ll leave Bangladesh to PM Modi,” Trump stated during a joint press conference, following their bilateral meeting in Washington where trade and India-US ties were discussed.
The statement came as the Trump administration halted all aid to the Bangladesh government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The US donor agency USAID announced an immediate cessation of all operations in the country, effectively suspending contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and other assistance programs.
A letter issued by USAID to its partners directed them to immediately cease all work under its Bangladesh operations. “This letter is directing all USAID/Bangladesh implementing partners to immediately suspend any work under your USAID/Bangladesh contract, work order, grant, or cooperative agreement,” the notice stated.
Meanwhile, President Trump also announced a new trade agreement with India, under which New Delhi will import more oil and gas from the US to help reduce its trade deficit with Washington.