US Senator Urges India To Use Its 'Influence' To Help Trump End Ukraine War
Graham said that it will be "consequential" in improving relations between Washington and Delhi.
"As I have been telling my friends in India, one of the most consequential things they could do to improve India-US relations is to help President Trump end this bloodbath in Ukraine," Graham posted on social media on Friday.
Graham said that India is the second-largest purchaser of cheap oil from Russia, which "fuels Putin's war machine".
"I hope Prime Minister Modi emphasised to Putin in their recent phone call the need to end this war in Ukraine justly, honourably and forever. I have always believed India influences this matter, and I am hoping they will use it wisely," Graham added.
Graham was responding to PM Modi's post on X following his phone call with President Putin.
Modi said he had a "very good and detailed conversation" with "my friend President Putin." During their phone conversation on Friday, Putin briefed Modi on the latest developments concerning Ukraine.
"In light of the special privileged partnership between Russia and India, Vladimir Putin shared the key outcomes of his meeting with US President's Special Envoy Steven Witkoff," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Prime Minister Modi thanked President Putin for the information and confirmed India's "unwavering stance in favour of settling the situation surrounding Ukraine via political and diplomatic means," it added.
Modi has invited Putin to India later this year for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.
Graham has supported Trump's decision to impose additional tariffs on India for its purchases of Russian oil, saying, "Making those like India pay a price for their war profiteering is a good place to start."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
29 minutes ago
- First Post
High drama over EC's SIR: Rahul Gandhi detained, Akhilesh Yadav jumps police barricade
A protest by the INDIA bloc outside the Election Commission of India turned dramatic as Akhilesh Yadav jumped over police barricades and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were detained by Delhi Police. read more Advertisement Dramatic scenes unfolded at the INDIA bloc protest outside the Election Commission of India on Monday, as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav jumped over a police barricade while Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi were detained by Delhi Police. The police stopped the leaders from marching from Parliament towards the Election Commission. Rahul Gandhi was among several opposition leaders and MPs detained during the protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out in Bihar and planned in other states. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Videos circulating on social media showed Akhilesh Yadav leaping over barricades as other opposition leaders continued their march from Parliament House to Nirvachan Sadan. The INDIA bloc protest march was organised in response to the SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar amid allegations of 'voter fraud' during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Delhi Police met the INDIA bloc leaders with barricades soon after they began the march from Parliament, which was led by Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Ahead of the march, Delhi Police stated that no permission had been sought to hold the protest. Over 300 MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha took part in the march, which started around 11:30 am. To maintain order and prevent any untoward incidents, Delhi Police deployed personnel and erected barricades at multiple points along the route. Additional security vehicles and quick reaction teams were stationed near the Election Commission office and surrounding roads to ensure smooth traffic flow. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This protest follows Rahul Gandhi's press conference last Thursday, where he described his evidence of alleged poll fraud as an 'atom bomb' of proofs, accusing the poll body of resorting to 'vote chori'.
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
The crude oil market bets Trump's India threats are hollow
The crude oil market 's rather sanguine reaction to the U.S. threats to India over its continued purchases of Russian oil is effectively a bet that very little will actually happen. President Donald Trump cited India's imports of Russian crude when imposing an additional 25per cent tariff on imports from India on August 6, which is due to take effect on August 28. If the new tariff rate does come into place, it will take the rate for some Indian goods to as much as 50per cent, a level high enough to effectively end U.S. imports from India, which totalled nearly $87 billion in 2024. As with everything related to Trump, it pays to be cautious given his track record of backflips and pivots. It's also not exactly clear what Trump is ultimately seeking, although it does seem that in the short term he wants to increase his leverage with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of their planned meeting in Alaska this week, and he's using India to achieve this. Whether Trump follows through on his additional tariffs on India remains uncertain, although the chances of a peace deal in Ukraine seem remote, which means the best path for India to avoid the tariffs would be to acquiesce and stop buying Russian oil. But this is an outcome that simply isn't being reflected in current crude oil prices. Global benchmark Brent futures have weakened since Trump's announcement of higher tariffs on India, dropping as low as $65.81 a barrel in early Asian trade on Monday, the lowest level in two months. This is a price that entirely discounts any threat to global supplies, and assumes that India will either continue buying Russian crude at current volumes, or be able to easily source suitable replacements without tightening the global market. Are these reasonable assumptions? The track record of the crude oil market is somewhat remarkable in that it quickly adapts to new geopolitical realities and any price spikes tend to be shortlived. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent crude prices hurtling toward $150 a barrel as European and other Western countries pulled back from buying Russian crude. But within four months the price was back below where it was before Moscow's attack on its neighbour as the market simply re-routed the now discounted Russian oil to China and India. In other words, the flow of oil around the globe was shifted, but the volumes available for importers remained much the same. Different this time? But what Trump is proposing now is somewhat different. It appears he wants to cut Russian barrels out of the market in order to put financial pressure on Moscow to cut a deal over Ukraine. There are effectively only two major buyers for Russian crude, India and China. China, the world's biggest crude importer, has more leverage with Trump given U.S. and Western reliance on its refined critical and other minerals, and therefore is less able to be coerced into ending its imports of Russian oil. India is in a less strong position, especially private refiners like Reliance Industries , which will want to keep business relationships and access to Western economies. India imported about 1.8 million barrels per day of Russian crude in the first half of the year, or about 37per cent of its total, according to data compiled by commodity analysts Kpler . About 90per cent of its Russian imports came from Russia's European ports and was mainly Urals grade. This is a medium sour crude and it would raise challenges for Indian refiners if they sought to replace all their Urals imports with similar grades from other suppliers. There are some Middle Eastern grades of similar quality, such as Saudi Arabia's Arab Light and Iraq's Basrah Light, but it would likely boost prices if India were to seek more of these crudes. If Chinese refiners were able to take the bulk of Russian crude given up by India, it may allow for a re-shuffling of flows, but that would not appear to be what Trump wants. Trump and his advisers may believe there is enough spare crude production capacity in the United States and elsewhere to handle the loss of up to 2 million bpd of Russian supplies. But testing that theory may well lead to higher prices, especially for certain types of medium crudes which would be in short supply. It's simplistic to say that higher U.S. output can supply India's refiners, as this would mean those refiners would have to be willing to accept a different mix of refined products, including producing less diesel, as U.S. light crudes tend to make more products such as gasoline. For now the crude oil market is assuming that the Trump/India/Russia situation will end as another TACO, the acronym for Trump Always Chickens Out. But the reality is likely to be slightly more messy, as some Indian refiners pull back from importing from Russia, some Chinese refiners may buy more and once again the oil market goes on a geopolitical merry-go-round.
India Today
29 minutes ago
- India Today
Shashi Tharoor joins 'vote chori' protest, asks poll body to dispel voters' doubts
At a heated protest by the INDIA bloc MPs over what has been widely termed as 'vote chori' — accusations of vote manipulation and flaws in voter lists — Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called out the Election Commission's a pointed post on X, he wrote: 'We are all asking why the Election Commission of India could not give serious answers to the serious questions raised by Rahul Gandhi, rather than insisting on formalities like an oath and an affidavit (when the data cited is all the EC's own data anyway). It is very much in the interest of the Election Commission to dispel the doubts that have arisen in voters' minds about the integrity and the credibility of the electoral process. The flaws pointed out could easily be addressed and answers given that could set rest any fears of voting-list manipulation. The nation is truly entitled to a response.'advertisement"The Election Commission's own interest lies in addressing these questions," he said while speaking to media at the protest site. The MPs from INDIA bloc were marching towards the Election Commission in a protest against voter list discrepancies in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, recently alleged by Rahul Gandhi in a data-backed Opposition members, following the Congress leader's revelations, have repeatedly insisted that the Election Commission's own data contained inconsistencies that needed to be publicly explained to preserve faith in India's democratic process. However, the poll body defended their institution's impartiality and asked Gandhi to file an oath and an affidavit regarding the allegations, stating that due process must be observed to verify claims before public protest, which unfolded over several hours, saw dramatic developments with all the participating MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, AKhilesh Yadav, being detained by the Delhi Police. Some female MPs including Trinamool's Mahua Moitra and Mitali Baug, fell unconscious during the protest.- EndsMust Watch
