'Trump realised he can't bully India': Ex-Singapore FM criticises US; claims birthday wishes to PM Modi came as climbdown

NEW DELHI: Taking another swipe at the United States, former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo said Donald Trump failed to pressure India — and that was why he later sent birthday wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management, Yeo said, “India thought it could use the US against China, the US thought it could use India against China, but when the Ukraine war happened, India was not going to disavow Russia. And after the air war between India and Pakistan took place, India found out that the US was not going to support India against Pakistan. In fact, Trump invited the Pakistani army chief to the White House, who agreed to nominate Trump for the Nobel Prize.” The Trump administration has repeatedly accused India of aiding the Ukraine war by purchasing Russian oil and cited it as the reason for slapping an additional 25% tariff on New Delhi.


“So India stood firm. Trump, realising that you can't bully India, sent him birthday greetings. And Modi replied, my friend, thank you for your kind felicitations. So we are seeing now a multi-polar world reconfiguring,” Yeo added.


Earlier in August, Yeo had warned that Trump’s sweeping tariffs marked a decisive break from decades of free trade and risked major disruption to global supply chains. Speaking to First Voice, as reported by The Raisina Hills, he said Trump was “going back to an old world” where there was “no WTO, no MFN,” and trade became an instrument of political leverage.

He argued this shift reflected a decline in US confidence compared to the era when it controlled 40% of the global economy and shaped the rules under the World Trade Organisation. “The US no longer feels the same self-confidence… it feels a growing insecurity about itself,” Yeo added. Yeo’s comments when Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on all Indian imports, citing national security and foreign policy concerns.

Last year, Singapore and India upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Singapore.

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