Trump warns of ‘phase two, phase three’ sanctions on India over Russian oil purchases
Washington, D C: U S President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to India, cautioning that he has yet to impose “phase two” or “phase three” sanctions for its continued purchase of Russian oil, on Wednesday.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, speaking at a bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office, Trump rebuked at a reporter’s suggestion that he had shown disappointment toward Russian President Vladimir Putin but taken no real action.
“How do you know there’s no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China, almost equal, is no action? That cost Russia hundreds of billions of dollars. You call that no action?” Trump retorted.
He further added, “And I haven’t done phase two or phase three yet. But when you say there is no action, I think you ought to get yourself a new job.”
Trump reminded reporters that just two weeks earlier he had warned, “If India buys, India’s got big problems.”
On August 27, Trump announced the imposition of 25% reciprocal tariffs on India, while also introducing an additional 25% duty on Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. Together, these measures effectively doubled the applicable tariff to 50%.
The White House later confirmed that Trump is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, a development taking place under mounting pressure from European allies.
Asked about Putin’s recent appearance alongside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a military parade, Trump insisted he had already acted strongly and said “Well, I have already done that with regard to India and we are doing it with regard to other things.”
India has officially termed the U.S. tariffs “unjustified and unreasonable.”
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Congress demands PM Modi to come clean on 'disclosures' on him made in Epstein files
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded answers from Narendra Modi following “disclosures” in the Epstein files in the US that some “monsters” had access to him, and said the prime minister should come clean on the issue.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, said in a post on X, "The reports of the new batch of Epstein Files are a huge wake-up call about the kind of monsters who have access to PM Modi, and how susceptible he is to foreign manipulation.
"The Congress demands that the prime minister personally come clean on these disturbing disclosures that raise serious questions.”
“Has he met Jeffrey Epstein? Or did he send someone to meet him? What did his conversations with Epstein involve,” the Congress leader asked.
The Epstein files are thousands of pages of documents related to two criminal investigations into sex trafficking by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including travel logs, recordings, and emails, which have been a topic of conversation since Epstein died in custody in 2019.
Venugopal claimed equally concerning was a report that while India’s foreign policy was changing dramatically, Prime Minister Modi was “dancing and singing” to the tunes of “tainted” individuals like Epstein to “benefit foreign powers”.
“People of India deserve an answer,” Venugopal said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, "The prime minister himself must clarify.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera also asked whether Modi was in touch with a "disgraceful" American such as Epstein right around the 2019 elections.
On Saturday, the BJP accused the Congress of spreading misinformation against Prime Minister Modi by "twisting" a generic email fragment of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein into a political smear, asserting that there is "zero evidence" of any direct or indirect interaction between the two.
The Ministry of External Affairs strongly rejected a reference to Modi in the investigative files related to Epstein, describing it as "little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal" that deserves to be dismissed with the "utmost contempt".
