The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday avoided responding directly to US President Donald Trump’s recent social media post that referenced India, Russia, and China. At a weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “I have no comments to offer on this post at this time,” when asked about Trump’s remarks. The post came just days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While refraining from engaging with the specific reference made by Trump, Jaiswal underscored that India attaches great importance to its strategic partnership with the United States. He noted that both countries share a “comprehensive global strategic partnership anchored in shared interests, democratic values, and robust people-to-people ties.”

He highlighted recent examples of defence and diplomatic cooperation, including an ongoing joint military exercise in Alaska, a recent 2+2 inter-sessional dialogue, and continuing engagements across various domains despite challenges.

Touching on economic relations, Jaiswal confirmed that India remains engaged with Washington on trade issues, while also reiterating New Delhi’s positive outlook on the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) as a platform for discussing shared strategic concerns. On the subject of Ukraine, Jaiswal stated that India “welcomes all recent efforts towards peace” and supports an early end to the conflict leading to “enduring peace.”

Trump’s earlier comments had drawn attention for their sharp tone, as the US President said, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” His remarks also came against the backdrop of Washington’s decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, alongside penalties related to oil imports from Russia.

The Indian government has consistently maintained that its bilateral ties with any country stand on their own merit, independent of third-party considerations.

Based On ANI Report