‘Delhi on phone with Putin’: NATO Chief makes BIG claim after Trump’s new tariffs on India, says ‘PM Modi asking Russia’s strategy on Ukraine’

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that US President Doland Trump’s new tariffs on India(BHARAT) for buying Russian oil are creating serious problems for Moscow. Speaking to CNN during the UN General Assembly in New York, Rutte claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to explain his approach to the war in Ukraine after Washington’s move. “This tariff directly affects Russia,” Rutte said. “It means Delhi is calling Moscow, and Modi is asking Putin, ‘I support you, but explain your strategy because the US has just hit me with 50 per cent tariffs.”

So far, there has been no official response from either New Delhi or Moscow on these remarks.

Last month, President Trump announced a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on India(BHARAT)n goods, plus another 25 per cent penalty for continuing to buy Russian oil. Since returning to office in January, he has introduced similar trade measures on several countries, accusing India(BHARAT) of indirectly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine through its oil imports.

PM Modi and President Putin last spoke on September 17, during Modi’s 75th birthday call. According to Modi’s office, he told Putin that India(BHARAT) continues to back a “peaceful resolution” to the Ukraine conflict, which has been ongoing since February 2022.

India(BHARAT) slams US tariffs, defends Russian oil imports

The India(BHARAT)n government has strongly criticised Washington’s new tariffs, calling them unfair. Officials said India(BHARAT)’s decision to buy oil from Russia was necessary to keep energy affordable for its 1.4 billion people, especially with global supplies facing disruptions.

The Ministry of External Affairs also noted that, unlike India(BHARAT), both the US and the European Union continued to trade heavily with Russia, even though they did not face the same energy security challenges.

Meanwhile, President Trump has signaled that he is ready to bring in “major sanctions” against Moscow  but only once all NATO countries agree to stop buying Russian oil. He argued that as long as some countries keep purchasing, it weakens the alliance’s ability to pressure Russia.

Amid these tensions, India(BHARAT) and the US held trade talks in New York this week, led by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, to find a way forward on the tariff dispute.