India says 3 militants behind Kashmir shooting that sparked tensions with Pakistan have been killed
Amit Shah said the three men were Pakistani nationals and were killed in a joint operation by the military, paramilitary and police Monday on the outskirts of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. Shah made the remarks in India's lower house of the parliament, and The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the details.
The April gun massacre killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied responsibility.
It led to tit-for-tat military strikes by India and Pakistan that brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region. Dozens of people were killed on both sides until a ceasefire was reached.
The four-day fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals was their worst in decades.
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Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Trump again threatens India with harsh tariffs over Russian oil purchases
WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened on Monday to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, while New Delhi called his attack "unjustified" and vowed to protect its economic interests, deepening the trade rift between the two countries. In a social media post, Trump wrote, "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine." "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA," he added. A spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said in response that India will "take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security." "The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable," the spokesperson added. Trump has said that from Friday he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end its 3-1/2 year war with Ukraine, opens new tab. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no public sign of altering his stance despite the deadline. Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump's threats. India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi has resisted, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and economic needs, opens new tab. Trump had already in July announced 25% tariffs on Indian imports, and U.S. officials have cited a range of geopolitical issues standing in the way of a U.S.-India trade accord. Trump has also cast the wider BRICS group of developing nations as hostile to the United States. Those nations have dismissed his accusation, saying the group promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources. India began importing oil from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the Indian spokesperson said, calling it a "necessity compelled by global market situation." The spokesperson also noted the West's, particularly the European Union's, bilateral trade with Russia: "It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia." Despite the Indian government's defiance, the country's main refiners paused buying Russian oil last week, sources told Reuters. Discounts to other suppliers narrowed after Trump threatened hefty tariffs on countries that make any such purchases. Indian government officials denied any policy change. The country's largest refiner, Indian Oil Corp, has bought 7 million barrels of crude from the United States, Canada and the Middle East, four trade sources told Reuters on Monday. India also has been frustrated by Trump repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media in May, which halted days of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The unpredictability of the Trump administration creates a challenge for Delhi, said Richard Rossow, head of the India program at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "India's continued energy and defense purchases from Russia presents a larger challenge, where India does not feel it can predict how the Trump administration will approach Russia from month to month," he said.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
Trump threatens India with 'substantial' tariff hike for buying Russian oil
Donald Trump has threatened to "substantially" raise tariffs against India over its purchase of oil from Russia."They [India] don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine," the US president wrote on his online platform, Truth Social, on is currently among the largest buyers of Russian oil. It has become an important export market for Moscow after several European countries cut trade when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in did not specify what the new tariff would be, but it comes just days after he unveiled a hefty 25% levy on India. Delhi called Trump's warning "unjustified and unreasonable". In a statement, a spokesman for India's foreign ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, said the US had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, "for strengthening global energy markets stability".He said India "began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict".India also criticised the US - its largest trading partner - for introducing the tariffs, when the US itself is still doing trade with Russia. Last year, the US traded goods worth an estimated $3.5bn (£2.6bn) with Russia, despite tough sanctions and tariffs. "Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the foreign ministry statement week, Trump had described India as a "friend" whose tariffs on US products "are far too high". His latest Truth Social post again struck a critical tone."India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits," he Minister Narendra Modi has not ordered India's oil refineries to stop buying Russian oil, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the Srivastava, a former Indian trade official and head of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank, said Trump's claims about India's oil trade with Russia are misleading for several reasons. He told the BBC that the trade has been transparent and broadly understood by the US. Mr Srivastava said India ramped up purchases of oil to help stabilise global markets after Western sanctions disrupted supplies - helping to stop a global oil price shock. He also said that India's oil refineries - both public and private - decide where to buy crude oil based on factors like price, supply security, and export rules. They operate independently of the government and do not need its approval to buy from Russia or other countries. I'm 'disappointed but not done' with Putin, Trump tells BBCThough relations between the US and Russia warmed after Trump returned to the White house in January, the US president has more recently toughened his rhetoric against the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir has questioned whether Putin is truly committed to peace with Ukraine. In Monday's Truth Social post he used stern language, describing the Russian military as the "Russian War Machine". Russia's leader has repeatedly said he is ready for peace but only if Kyiv meets certain conditions, such as recognising Ukrainian territories that Russia has occupied. Trump has threatened Moscow with severe tariffs targeting its oil and other exports if a ceasefire with Ukraine is not agreed by 8 envoy Steve Witkoff is due to visit Russia later this week, where he is expected to meet Putin.
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Trump threatens to raise tariffs on goods from India over Russian oil purchases
WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Donald Trump said on Monday he will substantially raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, while New Delhi said it would take measures to safeguard its interests and called its targeting by the U.S. president "unjustified." Trump said last week Washington was still negotiating with India on trade after announcing the U.S. would impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from the country starting last Friday. India has faced pressure from the West, including the U.S., to distance itself from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi has resisted that pressure, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and economic needs, opens new tab. "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA." He did not elaborate on what the tariff would be. Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump's threats. The sources did not wish to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Washington has cited geopolitical disagreements with India to explain why it has not yet been able to reach a trade deal with New Delhi. Other than India's ties with Russia, Trump has cast the BRICS group of developing nations - of which India is a key part - as hostile to the U.S. Those nations have dismissed that accusation, saying the group promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. A spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said India will "take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security." "In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable," the spokesperson added. India began importing oil from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the Indian statement said. The spokesperson said India's imports were meant to ensure affordable energy costs for Indian consumers and were a "necessity compelled by global market situation." The statement also noted the West's, particularly the European Union's, bilateral trade with Russia: "It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia." India also has been frustrated by Trump repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media on May 10. The ceasefire halted days of hostilities between the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors. India's position has been that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve their issues directly without outside involvement. Trump has reached a trade deal with Pakistan.
