Having called India a “great nation” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “friend” at the 2025 Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh on October 13, US President Donal Trump said two days later that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to stop buying oil from Russia, he didn’t want to spoil Modi’s political career, and China should also stop importing Russian oil. This, when Trump has not even been able to stop European countries from buying Russian energy. But this is the usual idiotic bullying style of Donald Trump, which many accept, but some don’t who are unafraid of the lunatic. Trump probably thinks he is the reincarnation of Hitler. Not surprising then a Facebook post quotes Vice President JD Vance defending young Republicans group chat that supports Hitler.
In response to media queries on India’s energy sourcing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiwal said, “Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.” Typical diplomatic waffle!
Last month, India was supposed to have procured one-third of its oil from Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India in December 2025, his first visit to India since Russia launched special operations against US-led NATO proxy Ukraine in February 2022. India has not responded to Trump’s claim that New Delhi has agreed to stop oil imports from India. However, according to a report in Bloomberg, India has indicated its willingness to spend USD 15 billion to purchase “additional” oil from the US (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-15/india-willing-to-spend-15-billion-on-us-oil-amid-trade-talks). The report quotes India’s Trade Secretary Rajesh Agrawal telling reporters, “Right now we are at an average of USD 12-13 billion as per FY25 figures and there is headroom for USD 14-15 billion more with the current refinery configuration.”
Indian officials are in the US for trade talks and India enjoys a USD 42.7 billion trade surplus in bilateral trade. But what is the cost of US oil vis-à-vis Russian oil? Do we have to buy more expensive American oil to please Trump? Is there no other way to reduce the trade surplus? And, we must be really naïve to think that buying “additional” US oil will satisfy Trump who is raving mad that India and China importing Russian oil are fuelling the war in Ukraine?
Compare this to how Sanae Takaichi, President of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan since October 2025 is showing the mirror to Trump for his tariffs bamboozle. If selected, Takaichi will be the first woman prime minister of Japan although Trump will try his level best to not let that happen or even attempt to have her eliminated. Readers must listen to this clip and judge for themselves if Takaichi is talking sense, being most pragmatic, and isn’t this what Donald Trump deserves, heading his Rogue-Based Order?
Many of our politicians, especially those without a spine, may be stunned listening to what Sanae Takaichi says. But can they deny that China is as big a strategic threat to Japan as it is to India, even though we share a land border with China and Japan does not? Why then are we getting bullied by Trump’s threat of tariffs; yet bragging about strategic autonomy, while playing jack of all trades, master of none? As it is, we have de-linked the border issue from bilateral India-China relations in the exact manner that China demanded, notwithstanding the façade our political hierarchy and sponsored spin-doctors will keep playing in the media about de-escalation to avoid being branded supine.
It is being repeatedly said that we need the US as a shield against China. What is that shield – technology, weapon platforms, moral support, what? What state-of-the art technology has the US given us? The US has continuously proved its credentials as an unreliable global partner over the decades. Hasn’t it undermined our LCA Tejas program by delaying supplies of the GE F404 aero-engines? Why did we get bullied for so many months about joint production of the vintage Stryker ICV, while Trump has deployed his Stryker Brigade on the Mexican border to check narcotics smuggling? Eventually, we did cancel the Stryker venture but we could have optimized “all” configurations of the indigenous WhAP platform in the intervening period.
Trump is now getting ready to bomb Venezuela but interestingly, he left the bombings of Yemen to Israel and Britain after Houthi hit US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS ‘Harry S Trueman’ in the Red Sea and two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet (each costing USD 80 million) went overboard and were lost in the sea. Trump has ravaged Ukraine as the US-NATO proxy fighting Russia, and is looking at instigating a Europe-Russia war, while he sits on the fence and counts the dollars he makes for himself, his family and America. Similarly, he wants a proxy in the Indo-Pacific to fight China – India, Japan, South Korea? And, this by selling the most expensive weaponry to advance America’s economic and strategic interests; never to engage China or Russia directly.
The world is revolving around geoeconomics, not just military strength. This is the very game Trump is playing; through indiscriminate use of tariffs and threatening sanctions. India needs to take a holistic view and stop the bully in his tracks. With Okinawa (Japan) serves as a strategic hub for American forces in the Pacific, hosting about 70% of all US military facilities, if Takaichi can bat for China imposing 500% tariffs on the US in response to Trump’s 300% tariffs, why should India stand Trump’s tariff bullying?
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva had suggested that BRICS nations should explore a trade currency amid rising tensions with the US over trade tariffs although he clarified that nations that don't use the dollar should be forced to trade in the currency; saying BRICS currency "increases our payment options and reduces our vulnerabilities". In response to Lula’s suggestion, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiawal said in a media briefing during August 2025, “We have made our position very clear on this issue earlier as well, De-dollarization is not part of India’s financial agenda.”
True, India has agreements with countries like Russia, the UAE and Maldives for trade in local currencies but the proposed BRICS currency is not the Chinese Yuan which India would not want to adopt because of geographical rivalry. Isn’t Trump’s threat of additional 100% tariffs on BRICS countries that has led External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to say that “India has not actively moved to reduce its reliance on the US dollar”? So, India continues majority trade in US Dollars, including with China, with annual trade balance in Beijing’s favour to the tune of about USD 100 billion. In 2024, China's trade with India resulted in a deficit for India of USD 99.2 billion – up from USD 85.1 billion in 2023.
Speaking at the ‘Future Frontiers Forum’ in London in June 2025, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal publicly criticized India's past trade agreements with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and accused the bloc of serving as a ‘B’ team of China. Was this immature public outburst to please Trump, when the process of renegotiating the trade agreement with ASEAN has been on since February 2024? If the speed is slow in re-negotiating the existing ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), how much is India (read Piyush Goyal) responsible for it? The latest round of talks was held in Jakarta in October 2025, following discussions in New Delhi in August. What percentage of progress has been achieved and what is the effort to complete it?
The 21st Century is considered to be the ‘Asian Century’; defined by Asia's growing economic and political influence - rapid growth of economies like China and India, Asia's demographic advantage, and a historical return to global prominence after a period of Western dominance. The West is obviously loath to the concept and Trump would try his level best to undermine and destroy it – akin to his approach towards BRICS. But even US allies like Japan and South Korea are fed up with the maverick Trump whose lunacy is increasing day by day. That is why in the abovementioned YouTube clip, the idea of a common trade currency for China, Japan and South Korea is noteworthy. India needs to review its approach to Trump’s bullying and how it can contribute to the Asian century rather than getting buffeted around like a rolling stone.
The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.
More on the US-India relations:
Trump’s War on India: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/trumps-war-on-india/
19 US Lawmakers urge Trump to Reset relations with India: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/19-us-lawmakers-urge-trump-to-reset-relations-with-india/
India’s trade with Russia and BRICS ties draw Trump’s tariff “penalty”: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/indias-trade-with-russia-and-brics-ties-draw-trumps-tariff-penalty/
India-Pak Ceasefire – Who Did Trump Rescue? https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/india-pak-ceasefire-who-did-trump-rescue/
India-China Reset? https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/india-china-reset/
India – The Racing Superpower: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/india-the-racing-superpower/
US-India relations on hold? https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/us-india-relations-on-hold/
