 "‘Donald Trump is a clown, but…’: Chess legend Garry Kasparov warns PM Narendra Modi about friendship with Vladimir Putin")
Garry Kasparov, the renowned Russian chess legend, has cautioned the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the man he deems his “friend”, the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kasparov, who is a longtime vocal critic of Putin and now lives in USA has warned Modi that the Russian president is untrustworthy and “would sell" him out “and the entire Indian nation at any time to prolong his dictatorship”.
The warning from Garry Kasparov followed PM Narendra Modi’s tweet about his conversation with Vladimir Putin, which focused on strengthening India-Russia ties.
“Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for sharing the latest developments on Ukraine. We also reviewed the progress in our bilateral agenda, and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. I look forward to hosting President Putin in India later this year.” Modi posted on X.
Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for sharing the latest developments on Ukraine. We also reviewed the progress in our bilateral agenda, and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 8, 2025
PM Modi’s post has come after the American President Donald Trump slapped excessive tariffs of 50 per cent on India. Trump slapped the tariffs because India are a regular purchaser of Russian oil. India had termed this action “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”
Kasparov’s stark warning to PM Modi
While India and Russia have long-standing strong diplomatic ties, chess legend Garry Kasparov believes Putin isn’t an ideal friend, even ranking him lower than Donald Trump in terms of reliability, saying “Your friend Vladimir Putin? The genocidal war criminal? Your friend who would sell out you and the Indian nation at any time to prolong his dictatorship by one more hour? With friends like that, who needs democracy? Trump is a clown, but stand for something better.”
Your friend Vladimir Putin? The genocidal war criminal? Your friend who would sell out you and the entire Indian nation at any time to prolong his dictatorship by one more hour? With friends like that, who needs democracy? Trump is a clown, but stand for something better. https://t.co/OiwCZsAkDf
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) August 8, 2025
Amid strained relations with the US due to President Donald Trump’s decision to double tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, Prime Minister Modi and President Putin spoke over the phone on Friday. They discussed the latest updates on the Ukraine situation and promised to further strengthen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
PM Modi has conveyed that he is looking forward to hosting Putin later this year. India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who visited Moscow this week and met the Russian president, has stated that Putin would visit India.
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