Following the SCO meeting in China and the Victory Day parade, former US President Donald Trump expressed regret in a statement. He posted on his social networking app, Truth, stating that the US had lost friends like Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Narendra Modi (India) due to China. This raises questions about why Trump, who has previously been critical of Russia and India, issued such a statement.
The long-standing friendship between the US and India is well-known. India is a key ally in South Asia and is a strong voice against China. India has a larger population than China and is also a nuclear-armed nation. During Trump’s first term, he strengthened ties with India. This resulted in joint rallies with Prime Minister Modi in both the US and India in 2019 and 2020. In January 2025, when there was political turmoil in the US, 80% of Indians favored Trump. A survey by the European Foreign Department indicated that the majority of Indians wanted Trump to remain in office.
However, relations between the two countries have soured in recent months. The US imposed a 50% tariff on India over its oil purchases from Russia. Furthermore, Trump and his advisors have made critical remarks about India. According to Axios, Trump’s ‘Make America Great America’ (MAGA) team contributed to the deterioration of US-India relations. The improving relations between India and China after the strain in US-India ties have also caused concern for the US. A German magazine recently claimed that despite the US President’s efforts, the Indian Prime Minister refused to discuss the tariffs.
Trump’s efforts to improve relations with Russia have not yielded significant results. Trump’s team believes that the alliance between Russia and China poses a threat to the US, as it strengthens both countries strategically and economically. The display of power by Putin and Xi Jinping in Beijing, alongside North Korea and Iran, has also unsettled the US. For the first time, China and Russia did not bring up the matter of denuclearization with Kim Jong-un. This has affected the US in the Korean peninsula. Trump had previously expressed interest in meeting with Kim to discuss the end of nuclear weapons. However, with Putin and Jinping backing Kim, it is unlikely that Kim will heed the US’s call.
Putin is also influencing the Middle East through Iran, which has resumed funding proxy organizations like Hezbollah and the Houthis. Furthermore, Iran is also enriching uranium. The growing number of countries that are either opposed to or wary of the US are consolidating, further contributing to Trump’s regret, leading to his public expression of remorse on social media.
