By Sanxuan

Putin was betrayed again.

On Monday local time, Trump announced a major news — the US and India reached a trade agreement, and the 50% tariff previously imposed on India will be reduced to 18%, with the condition that India stops purchasing Russian oil.

The US and India have reconciled again

Trump gave India two choices — they can buy oil from the US or from Venezuela. After all, Venezuela's oil is now also under US control. He didn't explicitly mention the price, but it will definitely be more expensive than Russian oil.

Back then, after Russian oil was sanctioned by the West, Putin offered many discounts to India, making India one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil. It would be unwise for Modi not to take advantage of such an opportunity.

Their relationship became closer, and they were often seen chatting warmly in public, even holding hands tightly when excited, which made Trump feel defeated, vowing to punish India.

In response to Trump's threats, Modi once stood firm, which surprised the outside world, and people thought India might really challenge American hegemony.

Deeply Hugged

But as the US continued to impose high tariffs on Indian goods, Modi's attitude began to soften, and with some friendly signals from Trump, the relationship between the US and India showed signs of improvement.

The turning point came in October last year, when Trump announced sanctions against a Russian oil giant. The Indian Oil Corporation feared being implicated and quickly canceled its order to purchase Russian oil. Its change of heart was as fast as Trump's.

With these preparations, it was no surprise that the US and India finally reached a trade agreement, completely betraying Putin. According to Trump, India will not only stop buying Russian oil but also purchase a large amount of American goods, and further open up its domestic market to facilitate the entry of American companies and products.

Modi expressed deep gratitude for Trump's "goodwill," posting on social media that 1.4 billion Indians would sincerely thank Trump for his wise decision. From now on, Indian goods entering the US could enjoy a low tariff level of 18%.

Modi: Sincerely Thank You, Trump

Compared to other Western allies of the US, this tariff level is not particularly low. However, India's tariffs have always been high. Before Trump took office, India's tariffs had already reached 15.6%.

After seeing the close interaction between Putin and Modi last year, it's now Trump's turn to boast. He posted on social media that the reason the US and India could reach an agreement was largely due to his friendship with Modi. Both of them are "doers," showing mutual admiration.

Trump also said that the US-India relationship would improve further, and he even used the word "extraordinary" to describe the bilateral relationship, making sure others could feel his deep friendship with Modi.

It's worth noting that before reaching an agreement with the US, India had already signed a trade agreement with the EU. The conditions offered by the EU were much better than those from the US, so the US Trade Representative Grille sarcastically said that the EU was too kind to India, leaving him with no benefits and letting India gain all the advantages.

The world where only Putin was hurt was achieved

India's ability to reach agreements with the US and EU has a lot to do with its decision to stop purchasing Russian oil. In short, Modi betrayed Putin, offering a pledge to the West in exchange for tariff benefits.

There's no denying that countries should always prioritize their own interests, but betrayal inevitably affects national credibility. If Modi can sell out Putin today to lower tariffs, it will be much harder to get favorable terms from Russia in the future.



Original: toutiao.com/article/7602465310251221556/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.