Trump Says US Has ‘Lost India and Russia to China’ Amid SCO Summit in Tianjin

US President Donald Trump declared that America has “lost India and Russia to China,” sharing a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping walking together at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, signing off the message with his name.

The remark followed bilateral meetings held by PM Modi with both Putin and Xi on the sidelines of the SCO summit — the largest in the bloc’s history, hosted by China with 10 member states and 20 invited leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In his opening address, Xi Jinping urged the SCO to “safeguard regional peace and stability” and to “pool the strength of the Global South.”

Trump’s comments underscore simmering trade tensions with New Delhi. His administration recently imposed 25% reciprocal duties on Indian goods, along with an additional 25% levy tied to India’s purchase of Russian crude — bringing the total tariff to 50%, one of the highest globally. He has repeatedly accused India of “fueling Russia’s deadly attacks on Ukraine” by continuing to buy discounted oil from Moscow, even as Washington has refrained from imposing direct sanctions on New Delhi.

Earlier this week, Trump further described the US-India trade relationship as a “one-sided disaster,” alleging that India exports “massive amounts of goods” to the United States while purchasing “very little” in return. He also criticised India’s continued reliance on Russian oil and defence imports, claiming it buys “very little from the US.”