India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

[Amber G.]

Trump’s letter to Prime Minister to Modiji, inviting him to be part of The Board of Peace for Gaza and future conflicts ( Along with Turkey , Teroristan among others), .

[saip]

No mention of Billion dollar bribe.

[Amber G.]

^^^Trump has invited leaders from around 60 countries to the Board of Peace for Gaza, including India's PM Modi, Pakistan's government, Hungary's Orban (accepted), Argentina's Milei (accepted), Paraguay's Pena (accepted), Turkey's Erdogan, Egypt's el-Sisi, Jordan, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, and EU's von der Leyen. Founding members include Tony Blair and Jared Kushner.

[Vayutuvan]

No mention of Billion dollar bribe.

Under the table.

[Amber G.]

Trump has so far invited the following countries to be part of Gaza Board of Peace (as publicly known so far):

Argentina Albania Australia Canada Cyprus Egypt France Greece Hungary India Jordan Pakistan Paraguay Turkey.

Israel is publicly pushing back against the makeup of a U.S. committee created to oversee Gaza, which includes Israeli rivals like Turkey and Qatar.

[Amber G.]

Meanwhile : Peter Navarro, Trump's Trade Advisor is Back with statements like his boss:

"Why are Americans paying for AI in India? ChatGPT operating on US soil using American electricity servicing large users of ChatGPT in India and China

[Amber G.]

French President Emmanuel Macron does not plan to accept US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join a proposed Board of Peace, according to a person close to the French leader. (- Bloomberg)

[rkirankr]

Trump wants to replace UN with a tightly controlled US organization. India should stay out

[Amber G.]

^^BTW - Putin Also invited to join Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza per Kremlin.

And - US Secretary of State Rubio on Pakistan being part of intl stabilization force to be deployed in Gaza - says:
\:

- US Secretary of State Rubio on Pakistan being part of intl stabilization force to be deployed in Gaza'We're very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to be a part of it

(While Asim Munir is forming a new alliance between terror groups Hamas & Lashkar e Tayyiba while discussing Pak Army deployment in Gaza with Trump as part of Stabilising Force for Reconstruction. Beware of Pakistani Terror State’s Duplicity!...)

[A_Gupta]

India should neither say No, nor say Yes. Just some diplomatese about what an interesting idea, we are studying it.

[Amber G.]

Putin backs up Trump's plan to invade Greenland.

[Amber G.]

Trump threatens 200% tariff on French Wines to push French President Macron to join his Gaza board of peace.

[Lisa]

Compare and contrast

A study published in the US.

https://www.csohate.org/2026/01/13/hate ... ndia-2025/

"India Hate Lab (IHL) documented 1,318 hate speech events targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in 2025 across 21 states, one union territory, and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. On average, four hate speech events occurred per day. This marks a 13% increase from 2024, and 97% increase from 2023, when 668 such incidents were recorded."

and

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic ... march-2025

"in the year ending March 2025, there were 137,550 hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales"

India has a population 21 times that of the UK. One of the articles above made the new. Guess which one?

[drnayar]

No mention of Billion dollar bribe.

thats in the small print.

[Amber G.]

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaking on 500% tariff bill:

“India began buying Russian oil after the Ukraine war began. But President Trump put a 25% tariff and now India has geared down and stopped buying Russian oil,”

[KL Dubey]

India should neither say No, nor say Yes. Just some diplomatese about what an interesting idea, we are studying it.

India and Kanadda have appointed Russell Peters as a joint representative to this board a few hours ago. He will particularly reproduce Modi's accent in the meetings.

[Amber G.]

India should neither say No, nor say Yes. Just some diplomatese about what an interesting idea, we are studying it.

India and Kanadda have appointed Russell Peters as a joint representative to this board a few hours ago. He will particularly reproduce Modi's accent in the meetings.

@Shiv Aroor is tweeting about this.. not sure it is real or fake news.. hard to tell these days.

[Amber G.]

Pakistan accepts Trump’s invite to join the Gaza Board of Peace.

Who is going to loan them 1 Billion USD?


BTW: Israel too! Prime Minister's Office announcement:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he accepts the invitation of US President Donald Trump and will become a member of the Board of Peace, which is to be comprised of world leaders.”

[Amber G.]

UN Secretary General immediately after Trump Speech at World Economic Forum at Davos.

António Guterres : The @UN Charter is the foundation of international relations, the bedrock of peace, sustainable development & human rights.

When leaders run roughshod over international law, picking & choosing which rules to follow – they are undermining global order & setting a perilous precedent.

When a handful of individuals can bend global narratives, sway elections, or dictate the terms of public debate, we are facing inequality and the corruption of institutions & our shared values.

The Charter is a compact which binds us all.

All countries must adhere to it, fully & faithfully.

[Vayutuvan]

"Global Order" was made by the US. They can also unmake it. It is not fair that China gives only $37 M to the WHO, whereas the US gives $500 M. Tedros was a puppet of China in the COVID-19 spread affair.

India is at the receiving end of this BS called the UN and the P5. Somalia is the president of the Security Council for this year (two-year term, IIRC).

I won't cry even two drops for this entity in its current form.

[Vayutuvan]

Pakistan accepts Trump’s invite to join the Gaza Board of Peace.

Who is going to loan them 1 Billion USD?
[img...]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G_MJvfcXcAAcwnO?format=jpg[/img]

Fair point. That said, is that $1 Billion fee verified? I have not seen anything to that effect.

[Amber G.]

Meanwhile: Reports of Trump being successful in cancelling Newsom's Davos speech.

Also At Davos, Trump praised his asli 'frient' PM Modi and promised a “great” India-US trade deal — while maintaining 50% tariffs on India.

[drnayar]

Pakistan accepts Trump’s invite to join the Gaza Board of Peace.

Who is going to loan them 1 Billion USD?
[img...]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G_MJvfcXcAAcwnO?format=jpg[/img]

Fair point. That said, is that $1 Billion fee verified? I have not seen anything to that effect.

pakis can get an IMF loan i presume or their ummah bro KSA

[drnayar]

"Global Order" was made by the US. They can also unmake it. It is not fair that China gives only $37 M to the WHO, whereas the US gives $500 M. Tedros was a puppet of China in the COVID-19 spread affair.

India is at the receiving end of this BS called the UN and the P5. Somalia is the president of the Security Council for this year (two-year term, IIRC).

I won't cry even two drops for this entity in its current form.

whats the alternative ?

[A_Gupta]

Quote: In 1978, the Czech dissident Václav Havel, later president, wrote an essay called “The Power of the Powerless,” and in it he asked a simple question: how did the communist system sustain itself?

And his answer began with a greengrocer.

Every morning, the shopkeeper places a sign in his window: “Workers of the world unite.” He doesn’t believe in it. No one does. But he places the sign anyway to avoid trouble, to signal compliance, to get along. And because every shopkeeper on every street does the same, the system persists — not through violence alone, but through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they privately know to be false.

Havel called this living within a lie. The system’s power comes not from its truth, but from everyone’s willingness to perform as if it were true. And its fragility comes from the same source. When even one person stops performing, when the greengrocer removes his sign, the illusion begins to crack.

Friends, it is time for companies and countries to take their signs down.

....
Which brings me back to Havel. What does it mean for middle powers to live the truth?

First, it means naming reality.

It means acting consistently, applying the same standards to allies and rivals.

....
It means building what we claim to believe in, rather than waiting for the old order to be restored. It means creating institutions and agreements that function as described, and it means reducing the leverage that enables coercion.


It calls for honesty about the world as it is.

We are taking a sign out of the window.

The powerful have their power. But we have something too: the capacity to stop pretending, to name realities, to build our strength at home and to act together.

Especially as individuals, we have very little power - except for the power to name reality, applying the same standards to ourselves, friends and adversaries.

The truth is that the United Nations is quite dysfunctional. There is no fixing it, not as long as some members have a veto and others do not; as long as the truth cannot be told about Pakistan's terrorism or China's human rights in the name of being united in a United Nations.

We’re doing something else: to help solve global problems, we’re pursuing variable geometry. In other words, different coalitions for different issues based on common values and interests.

This variable geometry is what India should pursue too -- "different coalitions for different issues based on common values and interests". If the United Nations can be repaired, it should be. But the capacity to stop pretending is that India does not have the heft, nor does it have the political capital to expend to try to repair the UN.

[A_Gupta]

"U.S. Signals Tariff Easing as India's Russian Oil Imports Plunge"
https://www.chosun.com/english/world-en ... 75DLR4MHE/

[uddu]

"U.S. Signals Tariff Easing as India's Russian Oil Imports Plunge"
https://www.chosun.com/english/world-en ... 75DLR4MHE/

They are backtracking after the setback in Europe.

[g.sarkar]

https://www.rediff.com/news/report/us-m ... 260124.htm
Tariffs on India 'huge success', may be rolled back: US treasury secy
Yoshita singh, January 24, 2026
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there is a 'path' to remove the 25 per cent tariffs imposed on India for buying Russian oil, noting that such purchases by Delhi from Moscow have 'collapsed'.
US President Donald Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including 25 per cent for its purchases of Russian oil, leading to a strain in the bilateral ties between the two countries.
Bessent on Friday defined the sanctions imposed on India as a 'success'.
"We put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. And the Indian purchases by their refineries of Russian oil have collapsed. So that is a success. The tariffs are still on. The 25 per cent Russian oil tariffs are still on," Bessent said in an interview with Politico.
"I would imagine that there is a path to take them off. So that's a check and a huge success," he added.
Bessent also criticised Europe for not imposing tariffs on India.
.....
Gautam

[uddu]

USA Plans to Remove Tariffs from India? Scott Bessent's Statement on Russian Oil I Aadi Pathikrit

[Amber G.]

Ted Cruz says Navarro, JD Vance blocked India trade deal; mocks Trump tariffs in leaked audio

You're going to lose the House, you're going to lose the Senate, you're going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week."

Trump’s response, according to Cruz: "**** you, Ted."

When a questioner at the donors’ session mentioned "Liberation Day" — Trump’s branding for his tariffs unveiling — Cruz joked: "I've told my team if anyone uses those words, they will be terminated on the spot. That is not language we use."

[Vayutuvan]

JD Vance has turned out to be a snake in the grass. Is it his xtianiyat that is making him go against India? Most folks still think of Russia as a commie country.

[uddu]

Leaked Audio Exposes How Donald Trump And JD Vance Held Up India-US Trade Deal Amid Tariffs Storm
A fresh political storm is unfolding in Washington as leaked audio recordings reportedly reveal why a long-pending India–US trade deal remains stuck. According to an Axios report, Republican Senator Ted Cruz privately blamed President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and trade adviser Peter Navarro for holding up negotiations. The revelations come amid heightened tariff tensions after the US imposed additional duties on Indian goods over India’s oil trade with Russia, pushing total tariffs to 50 percent. The leaked audio suggests the delay is rooted less in economics and more in political infighting within the Republican Party. Cruz reportedly warned Trump that aggressive tariffs could hurt American consumers and cost Republicans crucial midterm elections in 2026. For India, the episode highlights how internal US politics are complicating what was expected to be a natural strategic and economic partnership.

[uddu]

https://x.com/dharma__vijay/status/2015633811909087307
@dharma__vijay
Equality Labs was started by a Dravidianist rice bag and a Bangladeshi with affiliations to Jamat-e-Islami. The caste policing bill in California was championed by an Afghan and fully supported from India by BJP's Dilip Mandal and DMK.

https://x.com/Alpha_Abhijit/status/2015332327250104472
@Alpha_Abhijit
Thanks to this WOKE Govt the academic institutions are clearly compromised now

https://x.com/andy__gomes/status/2015633163251507216
@andy__gomes
bjp modis advisor with equality labs in california.

[A_Gupta]

Ted Cruz says Navarro, JD Vance blocked India trade deal; mocks Trump tariffs in leaked audio

Consistent with this from last August: Why Trump scrapped an India trade deal
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/0 ... opilot.com

[putnanja]

It wasn't just a missed call: The currency clash behind the stalled US-India trade deal

[Kanoji]

It wasn't just a missed call: The currency clash behind the stalled US-India trade deal

Putnaja ji,

Thanks for posting this. Explains to a mango man like me the reason for US nervousness and sanctioning 50% tariffs on Trump's dear friend Modi's India.

I am wondering what has changed - Bessent is now talking of removing the 25% tariffs.

[A_Gupta]

It wasn't just a missed call: The currency clash behind the stalled US-India trade deal

Thank you! It explains a lot.

[Amber G.]

Donald Trump Risks Tanking Twenty-Five Years of U.S.-India Relations

His persistent refrain that the war in Ukraine is somehow happening "because of India" rather than because of Vladimir Putin is beyond ridiculous. Nor is Russian oil the only issue between the United States and India. The fact is, these guys have tanked 25 years of bipartisan work to build the U.S.-India relationship, including in Trump's own first term. They have "succeeded" in repoliticizing what had been a depoliticized relationship in both New Delhi and Washington. And they have allowed objections to third-country partnerships to bleed back into bilateral relations in ways that were absolutely unthinkable when, for example, I worked on U.S.-India relations under President George W. Bush, including deep involvement with the civil nuclear deal. I warned about this nonsensical approach back in August and this kind of self-congratulation suggests they still don't get it

Here is U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:

"

The US has made much bigger sacrifices than the Europeans have. We have put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India. the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves."

[Amber G.]

Meanwhile:

An incredible Republic Day reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Thank you @rashtrapatibhvn for hosting us all.

[A_Gupta]

Here is U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:

"

The US has made much bigger sacrifices than the Europeans have. We have put 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India. the Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and the Europeans buy the refined products. They are financing the war against themselves."

It is hard to parse what Bessent said.

Here is my try: the US put 25% tariffs on India, which per Bessent’s boss do not raise costs to the American importer - they are paid by the Indian exporter to the US government. My heart bleeds for such an extravagant sacrifice on the part of the US.

Is there some other interpretation possible under Trump’s axiom that tariffs are paid by the foreign party exporting to the US?