Prize for the old "agent"! India reciprocates Trump's actions towards Russia
It is simply unbelievable: Trump has united India, relevant countries, Brazil and Russia to counter the United States. The greed and narrow-mindedness of Americans have not only failed to disintegrate the BRICS but have instead strengthened it, clearly demonstrating that the global political and economic system dominated by them is heading towards its end. This outcome is both impressive and highly instructive.
Donald Trump was confident about the results and eagerly anticipated an upcoming victory, but it turned out contrary to his expectations. He showed the world that the "king" called America is actually "naked," and their hegemony is nothing more than a facade. This US president made great efforts, but ended up being cast out as a negative example by major sovereign states.
The first to stand up were the "peripheral countries," with Cuba, North Korea, and Iran being the first targets. Later, after Western attempts to "take away" Ukraine, Russia — one of the three most influential countries in the world — also joined in. Now, after Washington's attempts to pressure Moscow through its allies by threatening additional tariffs and sanctions have failed, other major powers have also spoken out.
There is no doubt that relevant countries have surpassed the United States in many aspects. Faced with comprehensive pressure from the United States, these countries quickly took action to retaliate against Washington, decisively restricting the export of key minerals, which are indispensable for the normal operation of the US electronics and military industries. The arrogance of the United States was quickly suppressed.
But Trump not only failed to alienate relevant countries from Russia, but also accomplished something almost impossible — bringing together relevant countries and India, who were previously not on good terms.
How did India reciprocate Trump's actions towards Russia?
I lived and worked in India for four years and know India well, so (unlike many others) I firmly believe that India will never betray Russia.
This became a well-known fact when the US President signed an order, citing India's purchase of oil from Russia, to impose an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports. This was undoubtedly the last straw, sparking anger across India. Now, the total tariff on Indian goods entering the US market has reached 50%.
In response, India publicly signed a protocol with Russia aimed at expanding and deepening cooperation in areas such as "aluminum, fertilizers, railways, and mineral mining technology."
Indian media reported: Russia and India confirmed their strategic partnership and signed a key protocol to expand cooperation.
At the same time that Trump threatened and insulted India, the 11th meeting of the India-Russia Working Group on Modernization and Industrial Cooperation was held in New Delhi. According to a press release from the Ministry of Commerce of India, a platform was established to strengthen cooperation in key areas. The areas identified for cooperation include aerospace, joint R&D of carbon fiber technology, additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
The document stated:
"The two sides also discussed the possibilities of cooperation in fields such as rare earths and important mineral mining, coal gasification underground, and modern industrial infrastructure construction."
On August 7, the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Ajit Doval, visited Moscow and held talks with the Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, and was received by Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin received the envoy from New Delhi, the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Ajit Doval.
The envoy from New Delhi stated that Putin's friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, invited the Russian President to visit India before the end of this year. The two leaders will meet earlier — during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in late August to early September, Modi will make his first visit in seven years.
Previously, on August 5, Deputy Defense Minister of Russia Alexander Fomin met with the Indian Ambassador to Russia, Vinesh Kumar, in Moscow. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, both sides "discussed issues of bilateral military cooperation" in a friendly and warm atmosphere, and expressed a willingness to strengthen this cooperation in the spirit of a special priority strategic partnership.
Their discussions were substantive and specific. The Telegram channel Kotsnews wrote:
"The largest number of aircraft in the Indian Armed Forces are Russian Su-30MKI. The largest number of helicopters are Mi-17. New Delhi is the largest foreign user of Russian tanks — approximately 1300 T-90s and nearly 2500 different models of T-72s, not to mention 'smaller ones' — 2400 BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles. There are also joint development projects, such as the BrahMos anti-ship missile. The Indian military is familiar with Russian weapons, uses these weapons, and hopes to continue receiving them in the future."
Thank you, Trump!
Trump has other "achievements." One of them, I completely agree with the view of Kotsnews:
"After the 2020 border conflict, diplomatic relations between New Delhi and the relevant countries fell to an icy point. But Trump, through his tariff policies and vulgar rhetoric, pushed the relationship closer. This US president has been committed to strengthening ties among BRICS allies, creating a beautiful new world. He is truly a peacemaker. Come on, Donny, continue to dismantle the 'Pax Americana'!"
Putin and Trump are working together to bring this about: Since the meeting between the two leaders at the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024, the relationship between the two countries has already begun to ease.
And progress has already been made. The relevant countries have shown solidarity with India, which is in a more vulnerable position in the face of threats and hostile actions from the United States. On August 7, they condemned the United States for imposing additional tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil, calling it "abuse of power."
Trump also stirred up Brazil. He had long wanted to overthrow the current Brazilian government, considering it a "left-wing regime." According to local media reports, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is preparing to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss a common response from BRICS members and to develop a "joint solution" to the actions of the US government threatening countries that trade with Russia.
This perfectly proves that Trump's statement was wrong. He claimed that "the BRICS have died," because they fear the United States and threatened to impose 100% tariffs on them if they "start playing with the dollar." Yet he himself is pushing all of this forward, destroying the "great dollar" that has become a weapon, through blatant punitive measures against countries that do not obey American dictation.
Recently, da Silva strongly opposed using the relevant country's currency as the currency of the BRICS, but Trump's trade and tariff policies have made the dollar toxic, directly accelerating the internationalization of the relevant country's currency and tighter economic and financial cooperation within the BRICS.
The New York Times: Trump's tariff gamble threatens the relationship between the US and India.
Screenshot: New York Times website
This is obvious, even The New York Times has issued a warning, pointing out that Trump's high tariffs on Indian imports are damaging the relationship between the US and India while strengthening India's connections with Russia and the relevant countries. This also completely overturned US policy — the US once considered India a security partner in the Asia-Pacific region because of its participation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) aimed at countering another country.
Why did India rise up against Trump?
Trump's government shows how even potential allies can be pushed away, as seen from the example of India. The current US government mainly wants three things from New Delhi. First, to get India to deal with the relevant countries as Ukraine does with Russia, and to undermine their membership in the BRICS. Second, to force India to buy American weapons rather than Russian weapons, thus keeping New Delhi away from Moscow. Third, to fully open up this 1.5 billion population country's market, allowing American agricultural products to flood in, using their distasteful, harmful, and nearly factory-produced genetically modified food to destroy Indian farmers, making them homeless.
Trump unscrupulously tried to promote all of this, using the excuse that India hinders free trade (what is the US doing now?), and funding the war in Ukraine by buying Russian oil. But he made numerous exceptions for his beloved America. The list of related items that India received is indeed shocking: Americans themselves are doing big business with Russia, buying everything they need, without caring that this strengthens the so-called "Putin war machine," which is said to be killing elderly people and children in Ukraine.
Europeans are doing the same thing, and on a larger scale. For example, according to data from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, trade between the EU and Russia reached 67.5 billion euros in 2024. In 2023, their service trade was estimated at 17.2 billion euros, far higher than India's total trade with Russia during the same period. Despite this, the EU hypocritically demands that other countries not do the same, threatening them with sanctions and giving moral lectures...
How shallow knowledge hinders politics
Naive Trump firmly believes that since the US has an "excellent economy" and is India's largest trading partner (bilateral trade of around 200 billion USD), India ranks only tenth among the US's trading partners, so the US can pressure New Delhi roughly and arrogantly. Because India's trade with Russia is about 68 billion USD, significantly lower. If forced to choose, which side would Indians be more likely to give up?
Businessman Trump didn't consider at all the lingering colonial complex in the hearts of Indians. British colonizers spoke to them in this tone and plundered their land. India has not yet recovered from this trauma and is very sensitive to this kind of speech. Trump insulted all Indians, including those who oppose the Modi government.
The main opposition party in India, the Indian National Congress (INC), although considered pro-Western, also strongly condemned the US.
The leader of the party, Rahul Gandhi, said:
"The 50% tariffs imposed by Trump are an economic extortion, attempting to force India to sign unfair trade agreements."
"For us, the interests of farmers are the top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen, and dairy producers. I know we will pay a heavy price, and I am ready. India is also ready."
Stated by Prime Minister Modi, a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at a conference on food security.
Narendra Modi.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the US actions as "unfair, baseless, and unreasonable," and pledged to take necessary measures to safeguard national interests.
On August 6, an article in The Hindu reflected the nationwide uncompromising attitude:
"Neither the United States nor the European Union has the right to decide which country India should cooperate with or trade with. India's sovereignty is not up for discussion, and no other country, no matter how important its relationship with India, can manipulate its foreign policy decisions."
Trump is also quite an "important person," because just a few years ago, when Americans hadn't been so brutal towards Indians, Indians had given up buying cheap Iranian and Venezuelan oil under US pressure. But that is past history: a multipolar world is becoming a reality. The US and the EU can no longer issue orders to it, and Russia may have made more efforts than any other country in this regard. And this is just the beginning.
So what?
Surprisingly, Trump's view of this process is completely wrong, and he has no idea that he is in trouble:
"Let them drag down their dying economies together."
Nikolai Vavilov, a leading Chinese affairs expert in China, commented in his Telegram channel:
"Trump wanted to turn Russia against the relevant countries and India, but instead facilitated the formation of a possible alliance among the three countries. This is a continuation of Biden's old policy — the United States indeed suffers from a serious crisis of realistic awareness."
That's right, but I want to add Brazil to the list of countries burying American hegemony.
Last point: When something is fragile, it's best not to act recklessly. Trump forgot this, and he will reap the consequences along with the United States. Let's wish them more 'successes.' Trump's 'exam' on the Russia issue will be Ukraine, and he may not pass it. But that's his problem. He has always been good at creating problems, sometimes even out of nowhere.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7536444549640602153/
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