India, Canada FMs Meet; Trump Claims India Will End Importing Russian Oil

On her first official visit to India, Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand met her counterpart Indian External Affairs Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ties between the countries had plummeted after Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated on Canadian soil in June 2023. Signs of a thaw have appeared in 2025  since Mark Carney took over as Canadian PM. In August 2025, India appointed Dinesh Patnaik as the new High Commissioner to Canada. After the meeting of their foreign ministers in Delhi, the two countries announced a series of measures, including starting ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment. A joint statement said, 'Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic cooperation but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances.' However, the issue of transnational repression is missing in the statement. Meanwhile on 15 Oct, the US President Donald Trump said that Modi had told him India will stop buying oil from Russia, a move Trump described as a 'big step' in efforts to isolate Moscow economically. Neither has the Indian embassy in Washington responded to questions about such a commitment by Modi, nor has India responded in any substantial manner to the declaration by Trump. In an oblique remark, Trump also said, ‘I don't want to destroy his (Modi’s) political career.’ Modi is silent on this matter of foreign relations and India’s image, just like he has been during every crisis in the past 11 years. Earlier in September 2025, the US had withdrawn the sanctions waiver granted to Iran’s Chabahar port being developed by India. The US had granted the waiver in 2018 during Trump's first term (2017–2021). Chabahar is of strategic importance to both Iran and India. It can potentially help Tehran ward off the effect of Western sanctions and offers New Delhi an alternative route that bypasses Pakistan, which does not allow India land access for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia. Concurrently, New York City has officially named a street after the ninth Sikh Sovereign Guru Teghbahadar whose 350^th martyrdom anniversary falls on 24 Nov (earlier coverage).