'Get Along Very Well With Modi; He's Great': Trump Praises PM But Deplores India-Russia Oil Trade

Last Updated:September 06, 2025, 05:49 IST

He went on to praise PM Modi's leadership and spoke about the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States earlier this year

Trump made it a point to differentiate between governmental decisions and personal relationships. (File image/Reuters)

US President Donald Trump has expressed his disappointment over India’s continued import of oil from Russia despite ongoing global tensions linked to the Ukraine war. Trump criticised the scale of India’s energy trade with Moscow, stating he was “very disappointed" by the volume of oil purchases.

“I was very disappointed that India is buying a lot of oil from Russia. That’s not helping the situation," he added, referring to the broader geopolitical implications of countries continuing business ties with the Kremlin amid Western sanctions.

However, while voicing concern over policy, Trump made it a point to differentiate between governmental decisions and personal relationships. Reaffirming his strong rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the President said, “I get along very well with Modi, as you know. He’s great."

He went on to praise PM Modi’s leadership and spoke about the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States earlier this year. “He was here a couple of months ago. We had a great time," Trump noted.

His remarks come in the backdrop of deteriorating ties between India and the United States over Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian imports over Russian oil purchases and after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump also recalled the PM’s time at the White House. “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. And it’s been very well received," said the President. “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."

Trump’s comments come at a time of uncertainty in India-US trade talks, especially after the sixth round of negotiations was recently called off. The two countries have conducted five rounds of negotiations so far, with access to India’s agriculture and livestock sectors appearing to be one of the major areas of contention.

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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d...

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News world 'Get Along Very Well With Modi; He's Great': Trump Praises PM But Deplores India-Russia Oil Trade

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