US: Opposition Slams Trump Over Deteriorating Relations with India, Shows Photo of Modi and Putin

New Delhi: For the first time in decades, relations between India and the world’s most powerful nation have soured due to US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy. Now, even the US is beginning to understand this.

During a crucial hearing in the US Congress, a selfie taken of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a car became the center of attention. Democratic Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove held up the picture as a large poster in the room and said that it was not just a photo, but a warning that America’s current policy is pushing India closer to Russia.

She said that the US administration’s pressure tactics are weakening India-US relations. She stated that the steps Washington has taken in recent months are “deeply damaging strategic trust.” She clearly said, “It is the US, not India, that is harming the relationship.”

The Democratic lawmaker said that the picture is worth a thousand words and shows the strength of the personal and political warmth between India and Russia. She warned, “You can’t win a Nobel Peace Prize if you push your strategic partners towards adversarial countries.”

She told other lawmakers that it is time to wake up, because India is the world’s largest democracy and a very important partner for the US. If the relationship is damaged, the consequences will be long-lasting.

The picture was taken when Putin boarded a car with Modi immediately after landing at Palam Airport in Delhi. The two leaders went to the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg for a private dinner. Putin said in an interview that it was his suggestion to travel together in the car and that it symbolized the warmth of their personal relationship.

This was Putin’s first visit to India since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and was considered strategically very important. The US lawmaker’s comments have further amplified the political significance of this visit.