US Senator Lindsey Graham has urged India to use its "influence" to help President Donald Trump to end the "bloodbath" in Ukraine. Reacting to the phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Graham said he hopes the prime minister urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine "justly, honorably and forever".
Graham's remarks came amid heightened tensions between India and the US over Trump's 50% tariff threat on Indian imports.
"India is the second largest purchaser of Putin’s cheap oil — the proceeds of which fuel his war machine. I hope Prime Minister Modi emphasized to Putin in their recent phone call the need to end this war in Ukraine justly, honorably and forever. I have always believed India has influence in this matter and I am hoping they will use it wisely," a part of Graham's tweet read.
He also said he had been telling his friends in India that the best thing the country could do to improve ties with the US is "help President Trump end this bloodbath in Ukraine".
Lindsey Graham was the one who had issued warnings to countries doing business with Russia that Trump would issue stern tariffs on their imports.
{{/usCountry}}Lindsey Graham was the one who had issued warnings to countries doing business with Russia that Trump would issue stern tariffs on their imports.
{{/usCountry}}His warning to the nations, specifically India, China and Brazil, came weeks before Trump's 25% reciprocal tariff announcement for India in July. He had called India 'Russia's largest buyer of energy, along with China.
Trump intensified his tirade against India days later, with an additional 25% tariff announcement for buying Russian oil. While the reciprocal tariffs have come into force, the additional duties will take effect starting August 27.
Trump has been criticising nations doing buying oil from Russia and had warned last month that he would impose 100% tariffs on Russia, with secondary sanctions for countries doing business with it, if Moscow did not agree to a peace deal in the Ukraine conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump has announced that he and Vladimir Putin would meet in the US state of Alaska on August 15, indicating that a ceasefire deal with Ukraine is inching closer.