Peter Navarro, senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing to US President Donald Trump, has once again launched a scathing attack on India, accusing New Delhi of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to import discounted Russian crude oil.
In a post on X on Friday, Navarro criticised both India’s trade policies and its energy trade with Moscow. His remarks were in response to a Washington Post article, which claimed that the Trump administration’s harsh rhetoric toward New Delhi was straining ties.
“FACTS: India highest tariffs costs US jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. US taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth/spins @washpo Leftist American fake news,” Navarro wrote.
The trade adviser has repeatedly targeted India in recent weeks. From calling New Delhi as a “laundromat for the Kremlin” to making controversial remarks such as “Brahmins are profiteering” from the Ukraine conflict, Navarro’s statements have also fuelled tensions between Washington and New Delhi.
INDIA DISMISSES ACCUSATIONS AS MISLEADING
Navarro’s latest post came just hours after India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected his earlier remarks. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called them “inaccurate and misleading statements” during a press briefing on Friday.
“We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously, we reject them,” Jaiswal said.
On trade issues specifically, Jaiswal said India “continues to remain engaged with the US side on trade issues,” dismissing suggestions that the partnership was weakening.
TRUMP SIGNALS STRAIN IN INDIA TIES
The White House has echoed frustration with India’s stance. On Friday, Donald Trump signalled a major downturn in Washington’s ties with New Delhi, declaring that the US has “lost” India and Russia to what he called the “darkest” China. His remarks came just days after the leaders of the three nations appeared together at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
“I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India. 50 per cent tariff, very high tariff,” Trump told reporters.
President Trump has repeatedly described India as America’s “most tariffed partner,” claiming that New Delhi’s high trade barriers disadvantage American exporters.
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With inputs from agencies