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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused China and India of being the “primary funders” of the Ukraine war through their continued purchase of Russian oil during his address at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
“China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil,” Trump said in his over an hour-long speech at the General Debate of the UNGA, highlighting the role of these countries in financing the conflict in Ukraine.
The remarks came amid global discussions dominated by various conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. Trump’s comments also follow his administration’s recent decision to raise tariffs on India’s imports of Russian oil. The additional 25 per cent levy imposed by the US pushed the total tariff on Indian goods to 50 per cent, one of the highest globally.
US President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly that China and India are the “primary funders” of the Ukraine war, accusing them of financing it by continuing to buy Russian oil.
India and the United States had earlier held five rounds of negotiations for a trade deal, but the proposed final round of talks scheduled for August was postponed. Over the past few months, India and the US have been negotiating an interim trade deal.
In July, President Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods despite hopes for an interim India-US trade deal that could have helped avoid elevated tariffs. A few days later, he imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff, bringing the total to 50 per cent, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil. These tariffs came into effect on August 27.
India had expressed reservations about the US demand to open up its agricultural and dairy sectors, which are critical and sensitive areas providing livelihoods to a large section of the population. Earlier this year, in March, India and the US had initiated talks on a just, balanced, and mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), aiming to complete the first stage of the agreement by October-November 2025.
During the address at UNGA, US President Donald Trump declared that within seven months of his presidency, he had achieved what many thought was impossible.
He asserted that he had ended seven “unendable” wars and reiterated his claim of having helped broker a truce between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
“In just 7 months, I have ended 7 unendable wars,” Trump told world leaders. “They said they were unendable, some were going for 31 years, one was 36 years. I ended 7 wars, and in all cases, they were raging with countless thousands of people being killed.”
The US President listed the conflicts he said were ended under his watch, citing Cambodia and Thailand, Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Trump has repeatedly linked his claims at the UNGA with remarks he made earlier this week in Washington. On September 21, while speaking at the American Cornerstone Institute Founder’s Dinner, he again asserted that he played a role in “stopping wars,” including between India and Pakistan, and even suggested he should be honoured with the Nobel Prize for “ending seven wars.”
“We are forging peace agreements, and we are stopping wars. So we stopped wars between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia,” Trump said at the event.
Expanding on his claim, he added, “Think of India and Pakistan. Think of that. And you know how I stopped that — with trade. They want to trade. And I have great respect for both leaders. But when you take a look at all of these wars that we’ve stopped.”
