US Congresswoman cites Modi-Putin car picture, says Trump's India strategy is ‘cutting our nose to spite our face’ | Watch

US Congresswoman slams Trump and cites Modi–Putin car selfie, calling his India strategy ‘cutting our nose to spite our face’

The viral car picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin has triggered an unexpected flashpoint in Washington, after Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove held up the image during a congressional hearing to accuse the US administration of damaging ties with India.

At a House committee session on US foreign policy, Kamlager-Dove used the enlarged photo as a visual warning that America’s approach was backfiring. “Trump's policies towards India can only be described as cutting our nose to spite our face,” she said, arguing that current pressure tactics were doing “real and lasting damage to the strategic trust and mutual understanding between our two countries.”

Pointing to the poster, she added, “This poster is worth a thousand words. You do not get a Nobel Peace Prize by driving US strategic partners into the arms of our adversaries.”

#WATCH | US representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove says, "When Trump took office at the beginning of this year, the Biden administration handed him a bilateral relationship at the height of its strength... These were hard-earned accomplishments and the product of strategic… pic.twitter.com/GcVUTKvIq4

— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2025

She urged lawmakers to recognise the strategic cost of coercive diplomacy. “Because let me be clear: being a coercive partner has a cost,” she said, calling for urgent steps to repair the partnership. “Congress understands the stakes on a bipartisan basis. And I thank the chair for putting this on the record today.”

The image was taken last week during Putin’s two-day visit to India, his first since the Russia–Ukraine war began in 2022. The Russian president received a red-carpet welcome in Delhi, where Modi greeted him with a handshake and a hug before the two departed together for a private dinner at the prime minister’s residence.

Their car ride drew global attention, reviving memories of their earlier shared drive during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in a made-in-Russia Aurus sedan, a moment widely interpreted as a display of personal warmth.

Putin himself confirmed the gesture was deliberate. “The car ride with PM Modi was my idea. It was a symbol of our friendship,” he said in an interview with India Today.

Kamlager-Dove argued that the symbolism behind the Modi–Putin picture reflects deeper geopolitical consequences. She said the growing engagement between India and Russia should serve as a wake-up call for Washington, stressing that New Delhi’s choices are shaped in part by how the US treats its partners.

Her message was blunt: India’s closeness with Moscow is not unexpected — it is reactive. Without recalibrating its approach, she warned, Washington risks weakening one of its most important strategic relationships.