Kamal Haasan Slams Trump Over US 'Permission' to Buy Russian Oil Actor-politician Kamal Haasan has criticized US President Donald Trump on social media, accusing Washington of overstepping by granting India "permission" to purchase Russian oil amid global supply chain disruptions. Haasan, a member of India’s Rajya Sabha and leader of the Makkal Needhi Maiam party, posted a message on X addressing Trump, emphasizing India’s sovereignty and rejecting foreign interference. "Dear Mr. President, We, the people of India, belong to a free and sovereign nation. We no longer take orders from distant foreign shores. Please mind your own business to the best of your abilities," he wrote. Haasan also called for mutual respect between nations, stating, "Mutual respect between sovereign nations is the only foundation of lasting global peace. We wish your country and its people peace and prosperity." The controversy stems from remarks by Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary and a close aide to Trump. Bessent told Fox Business that the US had allowed India to buy Russian oil to address temporary supply gaps caused by the Middle East conflict. "The Indians have been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. They did. They were going to substitute it with US oil. But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept Russian oil. We may un-sanction other Russian oil," Bessent said. Trump later echoed this sentiment, suggesting the US might take steps to alleviate global oil pressure. "If there were some, I would do it just to take a little of the pressure off," he said, adding that "the oil pressure—there's a lot of oil. We've got a lot of oil. Our country has a tremendous amount and we have, there's a lot of oil out there. That'll get healed very quickly.#india #donald_trump #scott_bessent #kamal_haasan #us_treasury
