‘Baseless’: India rejects NATO chief’s claim that Modi is ‘on phone with Putin’ after US tariffs

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday dismissed remarks by North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who had claimed that United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases were forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press Russian President Vladimir Putin to “explain his strategy” on Ukraine.

“[NATO chief’s] statement is factually incorrect and entirely baseless,” the ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference. “At no point has Prime Minister Modi spoken with President Putin in the manner suggested…We expect the leadership of an important and esteemed institution like NATO to exercise greater responsibility and accuracy in public statements.”

In an interview to American news network CNN on Thursday, Rutte had said that Trump’s tariffs on Indian goods were impacting Russia.

He said: “Delhi is now on the phone with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and Narendra Modi is asking, ‘I support you, but could you explain me your strategy because I have now been hit by these 50% tariffs by the United States’.”

#WATCH | Delhi | MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "We have seen the statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding a purported phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. This statement...

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