India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

[A_Gupta]

Re: Trump is an aberration- there is a large chunk of the American population that supports him; so it might be like saying Asim Munir is an aberration. I hope the US returns to normal, but am not sure that it can.

[drnayar]

Re: Trump is an aberration- there is a large chunk of the American population that supports him; so it might be like saying Asim Munir is an aberration. I hope the US returns to normal, but am not sure that it can.

there.. fixed that

[gakakkad]

i voted for him , so did a bunch of Indians ,other asians ,jews and hispanics. even many of his conservative voters are now regretting it. US won't be normal again if there is such a thing . but it can be in a steady state making business possible.

if the dems are smart they'll start courting the centrist swing voters that made trumps election possible. I hope their candidate next time is someone like josh shapiro and not aoc.

[gakakkad]

strong statement by our middle eastern cujjins... question is , where is HAF or the Dem reps/senators of desi origin.

[Amber G.]

BTW, per most reputable medid, eg Ukranews.com corroborates this, noting India led diesel imports at 15.5%, followed by Slovakia (15%), Greece (13.5%), Turkey (12.4%), and Lithuania (11.4%)

Yes, India emerges as Ukraine’s top diesel supplier in July, accounting for 15.5% of its imports.
( India is buying cheap Russian Oi and then selling it to Ukraine )

[KL Dubey]

So basically India refines Russian crude and sells it to the chubs

Not really. Most refineries blend several different crudes before refining. It is a complex process. E.g. for diesel the blended crudes are first desalted, then fractionally distilled with crude diesel being one of the fractions, then goes through at least 1 to 3 catalytic reactions to produce diesel of different specification. There are many other intermediate processes not mentioned here. By the end of the process, it is really not possible to say that we are taking oil from russia to supply diesel to pakraine.

[Amber G.]

For Indian Americans – my take (most surveys are consistent with the data).
(I’ve done a lot of work for campaigns, organized many phone banks, and gathered/analyzed data.)

About 31% of Indian American voters supported Trump in 2024, compared to 22% in 2020. (About 62% voted for KH; the rest were undecided/unknown, etc.)

In general, in 2024, 21% of Indian Americans identified as Republicans, up from 15% in 2020.

Some context:

About 39% of Indian American men planned to vote for Trump, compared to just 22% of women.

Among male voters under 40, support for Trump was very high—almost a 50/50 split.

The big difference was the silo effect—most voters (especially younger ones) mainly listened to and talked with people who thought the same way. This was quite obvious here in BRF too.

(Interestingly, many did not support—or did not care to vote at all. Even some who made a lot of noise were “woke” or extreme left, and felt KH was not progressive enough—she didn’t support Palestine/Hamas/LGBTQ+ causes strongly enough for them. On the other hand, some non-Trump voters disliked KH’s perceived support for the extreme left/Squad instead of centrist common sense. Many of them stayed home, or at least did not work or campaign enthusiastically for her.)

From my own circle—a large family (3–4 generations), friends, and colleagues (my academic job brings me into contact with many students)—close to 0% voted for Trump. That included many who had supported other Republicans. Having known Trump since the 1970s, I can say there’s no surprise in the way he is acting.

[Amber G.]

By the end of the process, it is really not possible to say that we are taking oil from russia to supply diesel to pakraine.

But it won't stop Peter Navarro, Miller or Trump to call it Modi's war.. already some newspapers are commenting on the irony or genius Baniya-ness..

(Per reports it is more than fivefold rise compared to the same period in 2024
The diesel mostly traveled via Romania, flowing along the Danube, and shipments passing through Turkey's OPET terminal.)

[Amber G.]

That NYT story is here too.
Why PM Modi might have refused to take Trump's calls

[VKumar]

I hear that Trump has canceled his visit to India for the Quad summit.

[Amber G.]

^^Yes. Trump cancels plans to visit India for QUAD Summit.

[A_Gupta]

BTW, per most reputable medid, eg Ukranews.com corroborates this, noting India led diesel imports at 15.5%, followed by Slovakia (15%), Greece (13.5%), Turkey (12.4%), and Lithuania (11.4%)

Yes, India emerges as Ukraine’s top diesel supplier in July, accounting for 15.5% of its imports.
( India is buying cheap Russian Oi and then selling it to Ukraine )

I had posted the original source upstream. Here again:


https://www.nefterynok.info/en/news/ind ... ne-in-july

[Amber G.]

^^^ Thanks.

[Amber G.]

Meanwhile: PM Modi speaks to Zelensky before meeting Putin, extends full support to efforts for restoring peace

[Amber G.]

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement following an attack on the Bay Area Shiv Durga Temple

“I condemn in the strongest terms possible the break-in and vandalization of the Bay Area Shiv Durga Temple in Santa Clara, California. The perpetrators of this crime must be brought to justice immediately.

[Amber G.]

Fortune:

Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress. Prices continue to drop and at the same time our farmers are paying significantly more for inputs and equipment. U.S. soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer.”

Rural America is suffering an economic crisis as crop prices plunge — ‘U.S. soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute

The U.S. agricultural sector is facing challenges as China, the world's largest soybean importer, shifts its purchasing patterns. from U.S. to countries like Brazil.

[Amber G.]

Described as ‘the most powerful man you’ve never heard of’ and ‘the Mayor of Mar-a-Lago’, Sergio Gor provided protection as Trump’s ‘gatekeeper’..
Sergio Gor and the Future Trajectory of India–US Relations

Per Trump

As Director of Presidential Personnel, Sergio and his team have hired nearly 4,000 America First Patriots across every Department of our Federal Government in RECORD time — Our Departments and Agencies are over 95% filled!

has been at my side for many years. He worked on my Historic Presidential Campaigns, published my Best Selling Books, and ran one of the biggest Super PACs, which supported our Movement.

For the most populous Region in the World, it is important that I have someone I can fully trust to deliver on my Agenda and help us, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Sergio will make an incredible Ambassador.

[A_Gupta]

Gor will find it hard to get Senate confirmation as ambassador if he can’t even get a security clearance even under the Trump administration. As special envoy to South Asia he won’t need Senate confirmation but I bet India gives him the cold shoulder. The implicit “I’m mediating between Pakistan and India as the special envoy” is totally unacceptable to India.

[g.sarkar]

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/w ... 2025-08-30
Why PM Modi might have refused to take Trump's calls
India Today News Desk, Abhishek De, Aug 30, 2025
Did Donald Trump's habit of shooting off the cuff with little regard to accuracy make Prime Minister Narendra Modi wary of taking his calls? A new report by the New York Times (NYT), which backs a German newspaper's claim that Trump called PM Modi several times in recent weeks, sheds light on the circumstances that went behind the snub to the US President.
Officially, the last phone call between PM Modi and Trump was on June 17. The call took place as Trump abruptly left the G7 Summit in Canada and flew back to Washington. A bilateral meeting between Trump and Modi on the sidelines of the G7 had to be cancelled.
......
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-s ... rt-2122227
Donald Trump to Skip India Trip Amid Cooled Relationship With Modi—Report
Aug 30, 2025
President Donald Trump has decided not to visit India for the Quad meeting later this year as relations between him and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi continue to cool, according to a report from The New York Times.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs for comment by email outside of normal business hours on Saturday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Trump and Modi have supported each other during their respective administrations and drawn close ties, with Modi hailing Trump as instrumental to nurturing relations between the countries and pledging to "make India great again," but that dynamic has shifted sharply in the face of Trump's tariffs on India.
Trump announced that he will increase an initial 25 percent tariff to 50 percent on certain goods from India due to the latter continuing to buy Russian oil, which in turn allows Moscow to resist Western sanctions and continue to fund its war in Ukraine—something Trump grows increasingly keen to bring to a close.
The change in policy prompted Modi to declare "India is ready" to deal with the "heavy price" of Trump's policies as the tariffs have spooked the Indian economy and put in doubt the bilateral trade between the two nations.
Additionally, India has given no indication that it intends to stop buying Russian oil to meet its demands, and Modi has encouraged the country to embrace economic self-reliance and buy more Indian-made products to limit reliance on the U.S.
......
Gautam

[williams]

Gor will find it hard to get Senate confirmation as ambassador if he can’t even get a security clearance even under the Trump administration. As special envoy to South Asia he won’t need Senate confirmation but I bet India gives him the cold shoulder. The implicit “I’m mediating between Pakistan and India as the special envoy” is totally unacceptable to India.

Yep,,, he will find out soon that this is a punishment post.

[Cyrano]

Meanwhile: PM Modi speaks to Zelensky before meeting Putin, extends full support to efforts for restoring peace

By calling it Modi's war, funding Putin etc the Trump administration is dragging India into the narrative around this conflict, thus trying to cover up it's own role since 2014.

Zelensky's visit surely has US approval.

But this illegitimate turd is so far gone in his own narrative and sense of entitlement that he will reflexively try to lecture Modi and will be booted out.

Any chance of making this turd see reason is very very slim. In the near impossible event that India succeeds in cobbling an agreement will make Modi a deserving name for the oh so coveted Nobell piss prize ( which sigma Modi doesn't care for) that credit jeevi Trump will never let it happen.

This visit is an attempt to smear some of that malodourous scent of failure on Modi.

[uddu]

'STORM IS BREWING': Inside the agricultural sector performance

Deere & Company SVP and CFO Josh Jepsen discusses the impact of tariffs on the business and how farms are faring on 'The Claman Countdown.'

Deere CEO: EU, India Steel and Aluminium are the biggest tariff impacts for Deere

[Rudradev]

Fortune:

Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress. Prices continue to drop and at the same time our farmers are paying significantly more for inputs and equipment. U.S. soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer.”

Rural America is suffering an economic crisis as crop prices plunge — ‘U.S. soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute

The U.S. agricultural sector is facing challenges as China, the world's largest soybean importer, shifts its purchasing patterns. from U.S. to countries like Brazil.

You'll never guess who is directly impacted by the floundering agriculture (especially soybean) sector in the US.

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/besse ... -farmland/

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has failed to fully comply with an agreement that required him to divest his financial assets, posing potential conflicts of interest as he leads the Trump administration’s economic policy agenda, The New York Times reported today.

“The biggest potential conflict of interest for Mr. Bessent is his ownership of as much as $25 million of soybean and corn farmland in North Dakota,” the Times said. “The land spans thousands of acres in Burleigh, Kidder, Eddy, Benson and Wells counties, and earns Mr. Bessent as much as $1 million a year in rental income, according to his financial disclosure form.”

“The sale of Mr. Bessent’s farms could be complicated by the U.S. trade war with China, which the treasury secretary has been actively trying to defuse,” the Times added.

Sanctions on India, endless deferments for China making a little more sense now.

[Cyrano]

Ha ha, good catch! Where is that Corruption Index ranking when you need it?!

[Rudradev]

https://x.com/KanwalSibal/status/196176 ... 32112?s=19

Kanwal Sibal on X

Gossip is often the source of news.

Why would Trump reach out to Modi “several times”?

Has he reached out to any leader several times, especially after his calls were not accepted?

He has no ego, is it? He was willing to accept snubs from the tariff king?

And Modi would repeatedly reject his calls? Believable?

The intention behind purveying such gossip is both to make Trump look small and also to feed a US- India rift.

Finally, the journalists behind this yarn haven’t done their homework.

After the G7 summit, Modi didn’t return home, he paid an official visit to Croatia, which he couldn’t cancel.

The NYT journalists also seek to taint Modi as is the paper’s wont.

This is what they write: “At its core, the story of Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi is about two brash, populist leaders with big egos and authoritarian tendencies”.

On matters of diplomacy, I trust Kanwal Sibal.

And I question whether anyone citing NYT as an authoritative source on any matter related to India or Modi has the judgment of a snake gourd.

NYT is the paper that openly and specifically listed being anti-Modi as a job requirement when advertising for reporter positions to cover India/"South Asia".

It is the paper that solicited Swapan Dasgupta to write an op-ed and then refused to publish it for bring insufficiently anti-Modi.

It is the paper whose opinions section is run by a truly vile specimen of Pakvermin named Basharat Peer.

Why are we so lamebrained as to forget these facts and many, many others when contextualizing an NY Times report?

[Cyrano]

The phone calls refused story also came from a German paper and got picked up by others.

Before we self flagellate, may be the story is a leak engineered by the Indian side to embarrass Trump ? Apparently he cancelled all his engagements and hasn't been seen for 3 days

Dirty is a game that two can play

[Bharadwaj]

The media reports says U.S is trying to get the europeans to sanction us. If this happens create our own chaos. Stop all Oil buys from Russia. Open our economy barring agriculture and dairy at the lowest possible tariff to all countries. However ban all American imports and ask all American companies to leave by dec 31 of this year. Make it clear that the U.S is losing access to a market of 1.4 billion people on a permanent basis. extreme? yes.

[Ambar]

The media reports says U.S is trying to get the europeans to sanction us. If this happens create our own chaos. Stop all Oil buys from Russia. Open our economy barring agriculture and dairy at the lowest possible tariff to all countries. However ban all American imports and ask all American companies to leave by dec 31 of this year. Make it clear that the U.S is losing access to a market of 1.4 billion people on a permanent basis. extreme? yes.

We make around $300b directly from IT/ITeS, this does not include billions in GDP generated indirectly because of IT jobs, facilities,transportation etc. Majority of these IT companies export to the US, India is also the global leader in GCC model. Trump has one of the slimmest congressional majority in history, he is within 15 months of losing one or both houses in Congress, and will anyways be gone in little over 3 yrs. Conventional wisdom says don't throw the baby with the bathwater. India will continue to negotiate with the US and probably cut Russian imports if it can negotiate similar price from elsewhere. Its not without reason we recently reached out to Latam countries for oil.

The biggest winners from this reset are undoubtedly the Pakis and the Chinese. Pakis as usual will squander this opportunity, the Chinese will position themselves as the leader of the rest of the world. As for the Europoors, their appalling lack of spine was visible when they agreed to every single condition of Trump without getting anything in return, so i wouldn't be too surprise if they acquiesce to Trump admin's stupid demands again.

[Mort Walker]

https://x.com/KanwalSibal/status/196176 ... 32112?s=19

Kanwal Sibal on X

Gossip is often the source of news.

Why would Trump reach out to Modi “several times”?

Has he reached out to any leader several times, especially after his calls were not accepted?

He has no ego, is it? He was willing to accept snubs from the tariff king?

And Modi would repeatedly reject his calls? Believable?

The intention behind purveying such gossip is both to make Trump look small and also to feed a US- India rift.

Finally, the journalists behind this yarn haven’t done their homework.

After the G7 summit, Modi didn’t return home, he paid an official visit to Croatia, which he couldn’t cancel.

The NYT journalists also seek to taint Modi as is the paper’s wont.

This is what they write: “At its core, the story of Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi is about two brash, populist leaders with big egos and authoritarian tendencies”.

On matters of diplomacy, I trust Kanwal Sibal.

And I question whether anyone citing NYT as an authoritative source on any matter related to India or Modi has the judgment of a snake gourd.

NYT is the paper that openly and specifically listed being anti-Modi as a job requirement when advertising for reporter positions to cover India/"South Asia".

It is the paper that solicited Swapan Dasgupta to write an op-ed and then refused to publish it for bring insufficiently anti-Modi.

It is the paper whose opinions section is run by a truly vile specimen of Pakvermin named Basharat Peer.

Why are we so lamebrained as to forget these facts and many, many others when contextualizing an NY Times report?

Very much so. I'm somewhat curious the WH media circus didn't question the Press Secretary exactly about this.

[ricky_v]

the last time we got hit with so many sanctions was around the operation shakti, but atleast we were getting something out of it, with the recent spinelessness of the euros on display, it is likely that we will be hit with sanctions from their side as well, and all for following global material physical availability and economics also shaped by sanctions against oil producing countries such as iran and venezuela

might as well undertake any festering big issues such as nuke testing, targeting asat of hostile nations to test out our system, will get a 2 for 1 deal in such a scenario

[Mort Walker]

the last time we got hit with so many sanctions was around the operation shakti, but atleast we were getting something out of it, with the recent spinelessness of the euros on display, it is likely that we will be hit with sanctions from their side as well, and all for following global material physical availability and economics also shaped by sanctions against oil producing countries such as iran and venezuela

might as well undertake any festering big issues such as nuke testing, targeting asat of hostile nations to test out our system, will get a 2 for 1 deal in such a scenario

I would prefer a series of H-bomb tests, above & below ground, followed with testing a series of enhanced neutron flow devices.

[gakakkad]

I haven't seen any credible news reports about the Europe sanction thingy . Also there are no US sanctions on India .the tarriffs are also exempt in more than half the category. I think a lot of psy-ops from many different sides are going on . Chini and russkies would benefit from widening the indo-us rift . And creating an indo-eu rift ..

I anticipate no further trade deals till the courts sort out tarriffs.