New Delhi [India], January 5 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday criticised the United States President's approach towards India, saying Washington continues to adopt a 'blow hot, blow cold' policy despite repeated displays of bonhomie between the two leaders.

In a post on X, Ramesh said that the US President has once again threatened to impose higher tariffs on imports from India. He remarked that public gestures such as 'Namaste Trump' and 'Howdy Modi' events, repeated displays of personal warmth, and social media praise have yielded 'little good' for India.

'The PM's good friend in the White House continues his 'blow hot, blow cold' approach to India. He has yet again threatened higher tariffs on US imports from India if India did not stop buying oil from Russia. All those Namaste Trump, Howdy Modi events, all those (forced) hugs, and all those social media posts hailing the US President have done very little good,' he said in X post.

Congress Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused the Central government of being weak and unable to defend India's honour. 'Trump stands there sniggering, humiliating and making fun of India. US Senator, standing next to Trump claims that the Indian ambassador is begging him with an aim to keep the President in good humour. Trump asserts Modi has reduced Russian oil import under US pressure to make him happy. Such brazen bullies are mocking my country - but not a word from the Prime Minister. Not a squeak Modi is a disaster - a weak, coward man who can't stand up to bullies for defending India's honour,' she posted on X.

This comes after US President Donald Trump has held out a fresh warning to India over raising tariffs if continued imports of Russian oil, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of his displeasure on the issue.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday (local time), Trump said it was important for India to keep him happy on the issue of Russian Oil Imports

'PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly,' Trump said.

The US strike on Venezuela has brought the issue of Oil into the forefront of geopolitics once again. Venezuela has massive oil reserves, which total over 303 billion barrels, making them the world's largest proven reserves. However, production has dwindled to 1 million barrels per day due to US sanctions and underinvestment. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves (estimated at over 300 billion barrels), which represent roughly 17% of the total global oil supply, OPEC data shows.

Trump's new warning to India comes amid growing scrutiny in Washington over India's energy trade with Russia, even as New Delhi has defended its oil purchases as essential for domestic energy security.

The comments also come just weeks after Trump and Prime Minister Modi held a telephonic conversation, during which both leaders stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in bilateral trade ties despite ongoing tariff-related tensions. (ANI)