Trump calls PM Modi ‘very terrific man’, yet maintains stance on mediation and tariff threat

Though he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "a very terrific man," US President Donald Trump went on to threaten to impose "a very strong tariff system" against any nation that's engaged in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and gave a theatrics-filled description of his part in calling a halt to the Operation Sindoor standoff.

Even with the 25 percent punitive tariffs on Russian oil imports that will hit India on Wednesday, Trump asserted on Tuesday that tariffs can be used as a weapon to end the Ukraine war—but, he added, not immediately against Russia, the country that started the war.

In an equally circuitous explanation, the Department of Homeland Security released a draft notice on Monday, announcing that it will impose a 25 percent tariff on India from Wednesday in response to "threats to the United States by the Government of the Russian Federation."

This would come in addition to the initially announced 25 percent tariff, although there would be exemptions for some sectors, such as electronics and medicine.

Talking to journalists after his open cabinet session on Tuesday, Trump explained that he can impose "a very strong tariff system that's very costly to Russia or Ukraine, or whoever we have."

He explained his plan to conclude the Ukraine War as one that could be "an economic war," stressing, "It will not be a world war, but it could be an economic war, and an economic war is going to be bad, and it's going to be bad for Russia."

And yet, he went on, "And I don't want that now.

It's very, very serious, what I have in mind if I have to do it," he said.

Mr Trump has made several ultimatums for Russia's President Vladimir Putin to sit down with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks, threatening them with catastrophic penalties if they do not comply.

One of the ultimatums, made after his summit with Putin in August, was initially set for Thursday but Trump extended it last Friday to September 5.

When questioned if he would hold to this schedule for Putin to negotiate, he refused to be clear-cut in his response, alleging challenges in obtaining both leaders' agreement at the same time.

"If one agreed, the other didn't," he said, "and I had to get them both simultaneously."

He also stated, "Zelensky is not innocent either," while admitting his good relationship with Putin.

Moving on from the conflict in Ukraine, which was still unresolved though he had promised during his campaign that he would end it "in a day," Trump went on to explain tensions between Pakistan and India.

Describing his intervention after the terrorist attack on Pahalgam by The Resistance Front, a front affiliated with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, Trump said he averted a nuclear war.

He asserted he took action once seven or more aircraft were brought down.

Between the two countries, he pointed out, "the hatred was tremendous" and had continued "with sometimes with different names for hundreds of years," apparently referring to the past Islamic invasions and resistance, as India and Pakistan as new nations are merely 78 years old.

In relation to his conversation with PM Modi, he never raised trade threats, unlike in his conversation with Pakistan.

"I am speaking to a very great man, Modi of India. They're saying, 'What's happening with you in Pakistan'," he said.

"And I'm speaking to Pakistan on trade, they said, 'What's happening with you in India," he added.

"I don't want to sign a trade deal. You're gonna have a nuclear war," he told them. "And that was very important to them."

"Or we're gonna put tariffs on you so high," he said, "your head's gonna spin."

Addressing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, he said, "You were there."

"About five hours, it was done," he said, though he warned, "Maybe it starts again — I don't know, I don't think so — but I'll stop it if it does."

India denied that Trump brokered the ceasefire, and PM Modi had informed him about it in a call in June. India says that Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Kashif Abdullah made a truce proposal to India's DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai.