New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has made a bold declaration—that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “pledged” to stop buying Russian oil, Aime Williams and Andres Schipani report in Financial Times.
“Trump told reporters that Modi pledged in a phone call on Wednesday to halt the purchases, over which Washington had imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff in August. The levy applied on top of Trump’s 25 per cent so-called reciprocal tariff,” says the report.
Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said there is “headroom” for India to purchase an additional quantity of US oil, while “maintaining a diversity of sources.”
However, pivoting away from Russian oil is no mean feat as the move poses various logistical challenges.
“A full-stop on Russian crude would involve major logistical, political, and economic hurdles. At best, India might slowly scale down imports under pressure, but treating this as a done deal would be premature,” Sumit Ritolia, lead India analyst with Kpler, a data and analytics platform, is quoted as saying.
“It is more likely an aspiration or negotiation point than a firm, immediate commitment. Putting that into action quickly would be complicated and costly.”
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged the desire to deepen India-US energy cooperation and said that discussions are ongoing. But, India also reaffirmed another idea––energy import calls are guided by “national interest”.
In Washington Post, Salvador Rizzo reports on the arrest of one of Indian strategic policy’s biggest voices—Ashley Tellis, who has been charged under the US’ Espionage Act with “unlawful retention of national defence information” and faces up to 10 years in prison.
“A naturalized US citizen who was born in India, Tellis had a top-secret security clearance through his dual roles as an unpaid senior counselor to the State Department and contractor with the Defense Department’s Office of Net Assessment, a think tank within the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this year that the office was being abolished,” says the report.
Tellis, according to the report, was seen having dinner with Chinese officials on “at least four occasions” and had been under investigation “for years.”
“In a statement responding to the accusations Wednesday, Tellis’s attorneys said he had built a reputation as a widely respected scholar and senior policy adviser to the US government.”
“At the next court hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday and in our related filings on Monday, we will be vigorously contesting the allegations brought against him, specifically any insinuation of his operating on behalf of a foreign adversary,” his attorneys Deborah Curtis and John Nassikas were quoted as saying in the report.
Tellis was arrested as he and his family were due to leave for Rome.
The New York Times looks at how the US’ bid to alienate China through a “trade war” has reshaped geopolitics.
“The souped-up tension between the two economic superpowers is catching other countries—that is, almost every country—in the crossfire,” says the report, adding that Beijing and Washington were also essentially pressuring nations to take sides.
“India, meanwhile, has moved closer to China since the White House, piqued by New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, imposed tariffs up to 50 percent on Indian goods,” the report states.
“In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years to attend a security and economic conference—a public display by India’s leader that his country has plenty of allies should the Trump administration continue to single it out for punishment.”
The BBC reports that India is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. India had previously hosted the Games in 2010, staging the event in New Delhi.
“The city of Ahmedabad in the west of the country has been chosen ahead of Abuja in Nigeria by an evaluation commission from governing body Commonwealth Sport,” says the report, adding that “Ahmedabad can boast the Narendra Modi Stadium – the largest in the world, with a capacity of 132,000 – which hosted the Cricket World Cup final in 2023”.
“The news looks set to end fears that Glasgow 2026 might be the last-ever Games, with Scotland’s largest city having stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew for financial reasons,” according to the report.
“A reimagined format – with fewer sports, athletes and venues – has lessened the cost and enticed India, Nigeria and a handful of other countries to make their pitch to welcome the 74 Commonwealth Sport nations and territories.”
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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