US President Donald Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro has sharply escalated Washington’s criticism of India, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine through discounted oil purchases.
Speaking to foreign media news channel, Navarro warned that India’s growing economic links with Moscow and Beijing risk undermining global stability. “If India stops buying Russian oil, it can get 25 per cent off tomorrow,” Navarro said, adding, “So American taxpayers lose because we’ve got to fund Modi’s war.”
The remarks came hours after Trump’s crippling 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods came into effect on Wednesday, doubling the 25 per cent duty imposed earlier this month. The White House has linked the move directly to New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian crude.
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Navarro argued that Indian refiners were profiting from the conflict. “When India buys Russian oil at a discount and then Indian refiners, in partnership with Russian refiners, sell it at a premium to the rest of the world, everybody in America loses,” he said. “The road to peace runs at least partly through New Delhi’s war. I mean, Modi war.”
Also Read:Energy of 1.4 billion not up for trade: India stands firm on Russian oil imports despite Trump’s tariff shock
The 50 per cent levy is the highest reciprocal tariff imposed by the US on any Asian nation, impacting more than 55 per cent of Indian exports-mainly labour-intensive sectors such as textiles and jewellery. Electronics and pharmaceuticals have been spared for now.
‘Act like a democracy’: Navarro to New Delhi
Navarro also dismissed India’s sovereignty claims over energy imports, accusing New Delhi of arrogance. “What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this. They say, ‘Oh, we don’t have higher tariffs. Oh, it’s our sovereignty. We can buy oil from anyone we want…India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, OK, act like one.”
He also pointed to India’s security concerns, saying, “China invaded Aksai Chin and all your territory. These are not your friends, folks.”
Also Read:Russia doesn’t want a deal with Ukraine? US President Donald Trump thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is…
India’s defence over Russian oil imports
India has defended its purchases of Russian oil, arguing that they are necessary to keep domestic energy prices low and ensure market stability. Officials in New Delhi have described the US tariffs as “unjustified.”
Although historically reliant on Middle Eastern suppliers, India ramped up Russian crude imports after the Ukraine war began in 2022 and the G7 imposed a price cap of $60 per barrel. Washington itself acknowledged that India’s discounted purchases were a by-product of that mechanism, even as Trump now targets them.
