Take Trump’s view on Russian oil seriously, Nikki urges India

India should take President Donald Trump’s concerns over its procurement of Russian crude oil seriously and work with the White House to find a solution to the issue, Republican leader Nikki Haley has said.

The Trump administration has been critical of India for its procurement of discounted crude oil from Russia. Interestingly, Washington has not been criticising China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil.

Haley, the Indian-origin Republican leader, on Saturday posted on X a portion of an opinion piece she wrote in the Newsweek four days back.

Kwatra discusses ‘fair’ trade with US lawmakers

New York: Indian envoy Vinay Mohan Kwatra discussed “fair, balanced and mutually beneficial trade ties” with US lawmakers amid ongoing tariff tensions between New Delhi and Washington. He has met four US lawmakers in the last 24 hours and 23 since August 9, as revealed by his posts. “Highlighted our perspectives on trade and economic cooperation,” Kwatra posted on social media.

Her post urging New Delhi to take Trump’s concerns seriously came after she faced criticism within her party following the opinion piece.

In the article, Haley argued that India must be treated like the “prized free and democratic partner that it is — not an adversary like China”. “Scuttling 25 years of momentum with the only country that can serve as a counterweight to Chinese dominance in Asia would be a strategic disaster,” she wrote.

On Saturday, Haley said, “Decades of friendship and goodwill between the world’s two largest democracies provide a solid basis to move past the current turbulence,” she said.