No longer good friends: Why Trump's relationship with India's Prime Minister Modi has cooled

The relationship between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump was once characterized by friendship and mutual praise. But now their relationship has deteriorated significantly.

"India not only buys vast quantities of Russian oil, but then resells much of it on the open market at high profits," the Republican wrote on his Truth Social platform. "They don't care how many people are killed in Ukraine by the Russian war machine." Therefore, Trump announced that he would significantly increase tariffs paid by India to the US. He did not specify a specific amount.

The US President made his announcement before the expiration of a deadline he had set for Russia, during which time a ceasefire was to be achieved between Russia and Ukraine, which has been attacked by Moscow. Should the deadline pass without results – according to Trump, it began on Tuesday and will run for ten days – the US President intends to impose sanctions against Russia's trading partners.

Trump had already threatened India with tariffs and a "penalty" days earlier. At the end of July, he spoke of at least 25 percent tariffs and an unspecified penalty. Trump argued that India had bought a large portion of its military equipment from Russia and, along with China, was the largest buyer of Russian energy. This was happening at a time when the entire world wanted Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine. Moreover, India's tariffs were far too high.

According to the AP , India responded to Trump's criticism with a statement rejecting the allegations as "unjustified and inappropriate."

Trump's new proximity to Pakistan is also causing unrest among Indians. Trump had repeatedly interfered in the Kashmir conflict and claimed to have brokered peace between India and Pakistan. According to the AP, this caused unease in Modi's government, as Kashmir is viewed as an internal matter and international interference is undesirable.

Trump also praised Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts. Hours after imposing tariffs on India, Trump announced a major oil exploration deal with Pakistan and, according to the AP, said that India might one day have to buy oil from Islamabad. He also hosted one of Pakistan's top military officials for a private lunch.