US President Donald Trump acknowledged rising tension with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, saying Modi was “not that happy with me” due to steep tariffs Washington has slapped on Indian imports, particularly linked to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
Speaking at the House GOP Member Retreat, Trump recalled a meeting with the Indian leader, and said, “Prime Minister Modi came to see me, ‘Sir, may I see you please’. Yes. I have a very good relationship with him. He's not that happy with me because you know they're paying a lot of tariffs now because they're not doing the oil, but they are, they've now reduced it very substantially, as you know, from Russia.”
The Trump administration has imposed additional tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Indian goods, with a 25 per cent levy tied specifically to Russian oil imports, a punitive measure intended to pressure India to reduce energy trade with Moscow amid Western efforts to isolate Russia economically over the Ukraine conflict.
Trump also said that India told him it has been waiting for five years for the Apache helicopters.
“We're changing it. We're changing it. India ordered 68 Apaches,” he said.