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Modi a friend of mine Trump in Woodward book

Washington, Sep 11 (PTI) US President Donald Trump described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his friend who told him that the US has got nothing out of Afghanistan, according to Bob Woodward's latest book that hit stores on Tuesday.

"Prime Minister Modi of India is a friend of mine, he (Trump) said. I like him very much," Trump is quoted as saying by renowned journalist Woodward in his book 'Fear: Trump in the White House' which has portrayed a dysfunctional Trump administration.

The book has caused controversy as it reportedly portrays Trump as chaotic, mercurial and uninformed.

The White House has described the book as "reckless" and a work of fiction with the president calling it a "joke".

According to Woodward, Trump made this comment during a Situation Room meeting in the White House on July 19 last year, nearly three weeks after he had a very successful meeting with Modi at the White House on June 26.

"He (Modi) told me the US has gotten nothing out of Afghanistan. Nothing. Afghanistan has massive mineral wealth. We don't take it like others - like China," Trump is quoted as saying during the July 19 situation room meeting. "The US needed to get some of Afghanistan's valuable minerals in exchange for any support. I'm not making a deal on anything until we get minerals. And the US 'must stop payments to Pakistan until they cooperate'," Trump said.

Six months later Trump in a new year tweet on January 1 announced to stop all military aid to Pakistan arguing that it is not taking action against terrorist groups operating from its soil.

Trump told his national security aide that US is losing in Afghanistan.

"We're losing big in Afghanistan. It's a disaster. Our allies aren't helping. Ghost soldiers - those paid but not serving - are ripping us off. NATO is a disaster and a waste, he said. The soldiers had told him that NATO staff were totally dysfunctional," the book says.

"Pakistan isn't helping us. They're not really a friend," despite the USD 1.3 billion a year in aid the US gave them, Trump said.

Trump refused to send any additional aid. The Afghan leaders were corrupt and making money off the US, Woodward writes in the book. PTI LKJ KUN.



Putin, Xi turn chefs, flip pancakes in Russia 

 

Moscow [Russia], Sept 11 : Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping took a break from their busy schedule and were seen flipping pancakes together on the sidelines of an international forum in Russia.

Donning navy blue aprons, Putin invited Xi for a cooking challenge and the two leaders were seen pouring batter and tossing Russian pancakes, called ‘bin‘. The Chinese President’s perfectly-shaped pancakes were hailed by Putin as “very neat”.

Xi is leading a delegation of nearly 1,000 Chinese business people and officials to the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia’s Far East city of Vladivostok. The conference, conceived by Putin, is aimed at encouraging foreign investment, The New York Post reported.

After holding deliberations, the Russian leader invited Xi to show off his culinary skills at the Sea of Japan waterfront, where they prepared the pancakes, consuming them with caviar and a shot of vodka.

This was not the first time that Putin and Xi were engaged in “pancake diplomacy.” Earlier in June, Putin, who was on a visit to China, prepared a Chinese pancake, which Xi later tasted.

SOURCE