US President Donald Trump made waves on Friday after claiming that India and Russia had been “lost” to China after the recent SCO Summit. This was followed by his Secretary of Commerce insisting during an interview that India would soon come back to the negotiation table and “say sorry” to Trump. The remarks have sparked widespread backlash with people across the world questioning the current US policy.
“Looks like we have lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!,” the US president said on social media.
Ties between India and the US took a downturn earlier this year as Donald Trump imposed a whopping 50% tariff over continued purchase of Russian oil. Multiple members of his Cabinet have also issued vitriolic jibes against India for its policy.
MEA refuses to comment
The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the statement during a briefing on Friday. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal however issued a sharp rebuttal to the vitriolic comments made by White House Trade advisor Peter Navarro — dubbing them “inaccurate and misleading”.
India has repeatedly described the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable” — and questioned the US decision to single it out for punitive action. Top officials have noted that China (currently the largest buyer of Russian oil) has not faced any curbs. New Delhi maintains that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
America isolated?
While some of the comments across social media held strongly racist undertones, others voiced concern about the growing rift. Several X users reminded that Trump had managed to ‘alienate’ three nuclear-armed countries with significant geopolitical influence in a matter of months. Many of the posts also argued that America was now “isolated” and facing multiple risks due to its policies. MAGA supporters, however, remained convinced that the recent upheaval was simply a case of “Trump using the art of the deal” to make India “choose wisely”.
“Looks like Trump has decided that the current breakdown in the relationship with India is not going to be reversible any time soon. Trump, being what he is, would give maximum pain to India. He can’t do anything to Russia and China. There is nothing much we can do except face the pain and continue to focus on our development,” wrote Indian investor D Muthukrishnan.
“Lutnick says India will say sorry and come to the table, and Trump will deal with them on his terms. Clearly, India is their stress ball right now, when they can’t do anything against China Russia, they will try to squeeze India,” wrote another influential X account.
“He is still not clear who his actual opponent is. Some day he blames Russia, some day India, and some day China. The BRICS summit made him mad, and now the SCO summit. NATO looks absolutely irrelevant now,” added a third.
“The US hasn’t just lost India and Russia. It has lost Europe and Canada too. Its closest allies no longer take orders from Washington. leaving America isolated with nothing but its debts and its illusions of power,” opined a fourth.
“When you push partners away, don’t be shocked if they find a new table to sit at. Looks like Trump just gifted India and Russia to China with his own policies — then complained about losing them. That’s not geopolitics, that’s self-checkmate,” fumed a fifth.