Trump hosts Diwali celebration at White House, says US-India ties 'very good'
Washington: US President Donald Trump has lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India during a Diwali celebration at the White House, saying the two nations share a "very good relationship" and that the Indian leader wants to see the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also reiterated his claim that India will not be buying "too much" oil from Russia. The event held on Tuesday saw Trump hosting Indian-American business leaders and community figures in the Oval Office, lighting a traditional oil lamp, and extending warm greetings to the people of India and Indian-Americans. "I just spoke to your prime minister today. We had a great conversation. We talked about trade. We talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade. He's very interested in that," he said, addressing the Indian-American community members gathered for the festivities.
Describing Modi as "a great person", Trump said he has become "a great friend of mine over the years". The president said he had also discussed India-Pakistan relations with the prime minister. "We did talk a little while ago about let's have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that. And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing," he said. Trump has been repeating his claim dozens of times that he “helped settle” the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. India has consistently maintained that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan in May was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries. Later, during a media interaction, Trump reiterated his claim that India will not be buying "too much" oil from Russia. The US and India are working together on “some great deals”, he said in response to a question. "I love the people of India... I spoke to Prime Minister Modi today, as I mentioned before, and we just have a very good relationship... He is not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see the war end as much as I do. He wants to see the war end between Russia and Ukraine," Trump said. "And as you know, they're not going to be buying too much oil, so they've cut it way back, and they're continuing to cut it way back," he claimed.
The US has been maintaining that India is helping Putin to finance the war through its purchase of Russian crude oil. The relations between New Delhi and Washington have been reeling under severe stress after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty for India's purchase of Russian crude oil. India described the US action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable". Trump last week said that India is going to pay “massive tariffs” if it continues to buy oil from Russia, while reiterating that he got assurance from Prime Minister Modi that New Delhi is going to halt its oil purchases from Moscow. India had said it is "broad-basing and diversifying" its sourcing of energy to meet market conditions, hours after Trump on Wednesday last week claimed that Modi assured him that New Delhi will stop procuring Russian crude oil. Trump said he does not believe India made such remarks. During the event, Trump also praised Indian-American business leaders, noting their contributions to the US economy. "The Indian American business leaders, the biggest in the world... Really, if you look at these companies, what they've done... they’re the biggest in the world,” he said, referencing executives such as Adobe Inc CEO Shantanu Narayen, Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, among several other business leaders who joined Trump in the Diwali celebrations.
Earlier in his Diwali message, Trump reflected on the festival's symbolism. "In a few moments, we’ll light the diya as a symbol of faith in the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. During Diwali, revellers recall ancient stories of enemies defeated, obstacles removed, and captives freed. "The glow of the diya flame reminds us to seek the path of wisdom and to work with diligence and to always give thanks for our many blessings,” he said. FBI director Kash Patel, who was also present at the event, said he is a first-generation Indian-American whose parents "lawfully immigrated" to the US. "And under your leadership, so many more millions of Americans are living that dream,” Patel said, addressing the US president. Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra in a social media post said he was "deeply honoured" to join Trump at the White House to celebrate Diwali. "Wished him on behalf of Prime Minister @narendramodi a Happy Diwali and thanked him for this beautiful gesture. Warm Diwali greetings to all celebrating, especially the vibrant 5 million-strong Indian diaspora in the US," he said.
