The White House has been tense with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, causing tensions over trade and tariffs. Trump’s tariffs and India’s purchase of oil from Russia have led to friction between the two leaders, with policy experts questioning whether the camaraderie they shared may be a thing of the past. Trump’s recent statements reflect his frustration with the pace of trade talks with India, and he has accused India of buying “massive amounts” of oil from Russia and then “selling it on the Open Market for big profits.” This has stung Modi’s administration, which has been hard-selling negotiations with Trump’s team over a trade deal by balancing between India’s protectionist system and opening up the country’s market to more American goods. The trade deal the Indian side has offered to the US is the “most expansive in this country’s history,” referring to reports that India was willing to open up to some American agricultural products.
The tensions between India and Pakistan have been palpable for a while, with Trump growing closer to Pakistan, India’s nuclear rival. In May, India and Pakistan traded a series of military strikes over a gun massacre in disputed Kashmir, which made the possibility of a nuclear conflagration seem real. Trump’s claims of mediation and an offer to work to provide a “solution” regarding the dispute over Kashmir made Modi’s administration uneasy. Trump has repeated nearly two dozen times that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan, cutting a deep wound for Modi, who has positioned himself as a tough leader on Pakistan and made huge diplomatic efforts to isolate the country. India insists that Kashmir is India’s internal issue and had opposed any third-party intervention. Trump has also appeared to be warming up to Pakistan, even praising its counterterrorism efforts. India’s oil purchases from Russia are an irritant, and the Trump administration made its frustrations over ties between India and Russia more public.
