WE HAVE LOST INDIA AND RUSSIA TO DEEPEST AND DARKEST CHINA: DONALD TRUMP

WE HAVE LOST INDIA AND RUSSIA TO DEEPEST AND DARKEST CHINA: DONALD TRUMP

6-SEP-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

DELHI----------------------------US President Donald Trump wrote in his post on Truth Social: Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! This post was shared with a picture in which Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are seen standing together.

The Tianjin Summit not only indicated that new global equations are being formed under the leadership of China but also clarified India's strategic autonomy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, responding to US pressure, has kept conferences and talks open with China and Russia. This change is a sign for many analysts that India is now strengthening its position in the multipolar world.

Trump's post indicates that his government is seeing cracks in existing strategic partnerships, especially in view of India and Russia's growing engagement with China and the SCO. Along with this, it is also an indication of new equations of frozen relationships and strategic balance coming in trade-politics. Trump's statement was not just a social media post, but a reflection of the uneasiness that is being felt in the US about the growing influence of China. The US has long considered India as its strategic partner, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. But India's attitude has always been to maintain balance. It neither wants to completely bow down to the US camp nor wants to distance itself from Russia and China. This policy has been the basic consciousness of India's foreign policy, which is now being adopted more strongly in the new circumstances.

The relationship between India and Russia is historic. From arms to energy, Russia has always been India's trusted ally. Despite the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia, India continued to buy Russian oil at cheap prices. This angered the US and it imposed heavy tariffs on India.

India's relations with China are complex. Despite border disputes and economic competition, India understands that it is impossible to completely ignore China in the global system. Platforms like SCO and BRICS give India the opportunity to strengthen its position by joining hands with China and Russia, and also send a message to the West that India is not dependent on any one pole.

In Trump's language, words like deepest, darkest China reflect a special kind of American thinking, which considers China not just a rival but a threat. Trump's anger is actually a part of America's concern that its grip is loosening and the global equations are slipping out of its hands. It is worth noting that along with criticism, Trump wished India and Russia a long and prosperous future. That is, he believes that these countries will make their way even without America. This is a kind of acceptance that America cannot maintain its dominance everywhere.

It is clear from this entire incident that the world is no longer unipolar. Countries like India, Russia and China are making new alliances according to their interests. This change is disturbing America, but it is also an opportunity for the rest of the world. It will be interesting to see in the coming times how India maintains this complex balance and whether America brings flexibility in its policies or chooses the path of confrontation.