New York, August 27 – US President Donald Trump has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “wonderful person” but signaled that there will be no relaxation on tariffs imposed on India. At the same time, he repeated his claims of playing a role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan during a past conflict.
Trump said he may consider using tariffs as a weapon to end the war in Ukraine, but clarified that for now he would not use this approach against Russia. As per agency report, the US Department of Homeland Security issued a draft notification on Monday announcing an additional 25 percent tariff on India from Wednesday, citing threats posed by the Russian Federation to the United States. This would be in addition to the earlier 25 percent tariff already imposed, although some items such as electronics and pharmaceuticals have been exempted.
The US President noted that his campaign to end the war in Ukraine would not turn into a world war, but could become an economic war that would be damaging for everyone, including Russia. He has set separate deadlines for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to engage in talks, warning of serious consequences if they fail. Trump said the deadline given to Putin after their August summit, initially expiring this Thursday, had been extended until September 5.
While avoiding a direct answer on his talks with Putin, Trump admitted there were difficulties in getting both leaders to agree simultaneously. He stressed that Zelensky was not entirely innocent and highlighted his own good relationship with Putin.
Reiterating his earlier claims, Trump said he had played a role in preventing a potential nuclear war by stopping hostilities triggered by a terrorist attack in Pahalgam carried out by The Resistance Front, a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba. He recalled telling Modi during discussions that he was not interested in a trade deal if India risked being drawn into a nuclear conflict, warning that the US would impose high tariffs.
Looking ahead, Trump suggested that the possibility of an India-Pakistan conflict remained, but asserted that if such a situation arose again, he would intervene to stop it. However, India has consistently denied that Trump played any mediating role in previous ceasefires.
