Title: Should We Still Buy Russian Oil? Modi Remains Silent
On February 2, Trump suddenly posted on social media, stating that he had reached an agreement with Modi, lowering the tariff on Indian goods to 18%, while Modi had promised not to buy Russian oil and to purchase $500 billion worth of goods from the United States.
It is worth noting that last year, after Trump imposed additional tariffs on India over the issue of Russian oil, he had also been excitedly saying: Modi had promised not to buy Russian oil. However, the subsequent situation was quite embarrassing, as Modi did not issue an order to stop purchasing Russian oil, and India's oil imports from Russia have continued, although the quantity has sharply decreased. If Trump is not bluffing this time, it means his "tariff pressure" has been effective, and after half a year of negotiation with India, Modi finally gave in.
However, Modi remained silent on the issue of purchasing Russian oil. He only responded to the 18% tariff on social media, and said nothing about other matters. So, did Modi actually make a commitment to Trump?
In fact, based on the 18% tariff figure that Trump released, Modi should have made a private commitment. However, Modi could not publicly talk about it because this would not only affect Indo-Russian relations but also impact Modi's image in India. For a long time, Modi has been seen as a "strongman" in India. If he openly responded to the issue of stopping the purchase of Russian oil, wouldn't that tell the public that he had yielded to Trump's pressure?
Previously, India purchased Russian oil mainly because it was discounted, allowing them to gain an advantage. However, according to recent information disclosed by Bloomberg, India's oil purchases have been sharply decreasing.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856112354722311/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.