NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump tried to hit three targets in front of the NATO Secretary General. Where he highlighted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talk about reducing Russian oil imports. He also talked about Putin’s war policy on Ukraine and Xi’s role in stopping this war. He said that India is going to completely eliminate the import of Russian crude oil by the end of the year. He has talked to PM Modi. On the other hand, he said that relations between China and Russia have become very good. He said that the main reason for these two countries coming closer is the negligence of the previous governments. For this he also targeted Barack and Biden governments. Also regarding China he said that he will meet Xi Jinping. Xi can play an important role in ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Apart from this, the US President has banned two Russian companies. For the first time in his current tenure, he has taken any action against Russia. Let us discuss this in detail.
India will end Russian oil import
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (local time) that India will cut Russian oil imports by about 40 percent by the end of the year. Trump said that as you know, India told me that they will stop it… it is a process. You cannot just stop buying oil from Russia. Trump said the process of phasing out Russian oil imports would be gradual, and claimed that India would reduce it to “nearly zero” by the end of the year. But by the end of the year, it will be almost zero, he told reporters while hosting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. This is a big thing, it is almost 40 percent oil. India has been very good.
Trump further said that he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and said that he has been very good. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had said that I spoke to your Prime Minister today itself. Had a very good conversation. We talked about business. He is very interested in it. The US President further said that although we had talked some time ago that there should be no war with Pakistan. It also included trade issues, so I was able to talk about it.
India’s Russian oil imports
Trump has repeatedly said that Modi has assured him that India will reduce oil imports from Russia, which is at war with Ukraine, since 2022. However, India has denied any agreement and has stated that protecting consumer interests is its priority. The country’s energy policy gives priority to stable prices and secure supply. Trump had imposed 50 percent tariff on Indian goods and urged New Delhi to diversify energy sources.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump continued to criticize India’s purchases of Russian oil and said New Delhi would keep paying tariffs until it stops its imports from Moscow. While interacting with the press on Air Force One, Trump was asked last week about India’s denial of any talks between him and Modi.
He said, well, if he said that then they would continue to pay heavy tariffs, but I don’t think he said that. No, I have spoken to Prime Minister Modi of India, and he has said that he will reduce Russian oil. Trump further said that if they continue to import Russian oil, they will continue to pay heavy tariffs, and they do not want to do that.
Earlier, India reacted to Trump’s comment in which Modi had assured him to stop buying Russian oil. India said the country’s energy supply is driven by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers. External Affairs Ministry Secretary Randhir Jaiswal had last week said that Trump and Modi had spoken on October 9, during which the Prime Minister congratulated the US President on the success of the Gaza peace plan.
Accepting relations between Russia and China
Meanwhile, Trump acknowledged China’s complicated relations with Russia and held past US policies responsible for it. He said that China is a little different. His relations with Russia were slightly different. It was never good, but because of Biden and Obama they were forced to come together. They should never have been forced to come together, but by nature, they can’t be friendly. You should not have forced China and Russia to come together. Biden did this, and so did Obama. He forced them to come together because of energy and oil.
Will Trump meet Xi Jinping?
Talking about his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said he will “probably” talk about Russian imports with his Chinese counterpart, but his main focus will be on how to end the war with Russia and Ukraine. Trump said that I will probably talk about this. I will actually talk about how we end the war with Russia and Ukraine, whether it’s through energy, oil or anything else. I think he (Xi Jinping) will be very receptive. I think he would like to see the war end.
Trump further said that he hopes that the Chinese President can have a “big influence” on Putin and push him to a ceasefire. He said that I think he will have a big influence on Putin. I think he can make a big impact on a lot of people. He is a respected person, a very strong leader, a very big country, I think he can have a big impact.
Ban on two Russian oil companies
Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term. He targeted oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. The move comes after European Union countries on Wednesday approved the 19th package of sanctions on Moscow over its war against Ukraine, which also includes a ban on imports of Russian LNG. Before these steps of Trump, Britain had imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil last week.