The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday dismissed remarks by North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who had claimed that United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases were forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press Russian President Vladimir Putin to “explain his strategy” on Ukraine.

“[NATO chief’s] statement is factually incorrect and entirely baseless,” the ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference. “At no point has Prime Minister Modi spoken with President Putin in the manner suggested…We expect the leadership of an important and esteemed institution like NATO to exercise greater responsibility and accuracy in public statements.”

In an interview to American news network CNN on Thursday,

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