In a series of attacks unleashed from the United States against India amid strained ties, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Friday said if New Delhi “wants to be treated like a strategic partner”
of Washington, “it needs to act like one”.
Reiterating his earlier remark that the road to peace in Ukraine “runs through New Delhi”, Navarro attacked India for its Russian oil purchase and said that the surge in import of oil from Moscow since the Ukraine war started carries an “added price of blood and devastation” in Ukraine.
His latest rant comes a day after Donald Trump’s adviser said that Ukraine is “Modi war”.
What Did Navarro Say On India-Russia Ties?
Navarro said that Trump’s 50% tariffs on India, which came into effect on August 27, were imposed to cut off “financial lifeline” which he claimed New Delhi has given to Vladimir Putin’s “war machine”.
While accusing India of fueling the “war machine”, he overlooked that the United States’ purchases fertilizers, enriched uranium, LNG, among others, from Russia. Putin, during a joint press conference with Trump after the Alaska Summit on August 15, said that trade between the US and Russia grew by 20% since Trump came to power in America for the second term.
Yet, Navarro went on to do the math of India’s purchase of Russian oil.
“American consumers buy Indian goods while India keeps out U.S. exports through high tariffs and non-tariff barriers. India uses our dollars to buy discounted Russian crude. Indian refiners, with their silent Russian partners, refine and flip the black-market oil for big profits on the international market – while Russia pockets hard currency to fund its war on Ukraine,” Navarro said.
1/ President Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian imports are now in effect.
This isn’t just about India’s unfair trade—it’s about cutting off the financial lifeline India has extended to Putin’s war machine. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/bwLaL9dBTv
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) August 28, 2025
He said that India bought less than 1% of Russian oil before Ukraine war started in 2022, but it increased to over 30% since then.
“This surge isn’t driven by domestic demand—it’s driven by Indian profiteers and carries an added price of blood and devastation in Ukraine,” he alleged.
US Discussed Energy Deals With Russia: Report
Reuters reported earlier this week that the US and Russian government officials discussed several energy deals during US envoy Steve Witkoff’s trip to Moscow earlier this month when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The deals were proposed as incentives to encourage the Kremlin to agree to peace in Ukraine and for Washington to ease sanctions on Russia, Reuters had reported, citing sources.
They also discussed the possibility of Russia buying US equipment for its LNG projects, including Arctic LNG 2, which is currently under Western sanctions, according to four sources.
These proposals were also discussed during the Alaska Summit between Trump and Putin.
Navarro Attacks India’s ‘Oil Industry’
Still, Navarro accused India’s “oil lobby” of turning the largest democracy into “an oil money laundromat for the Kremlin”.
“Indian refiners buy cheap Russian oil, process it, and export fuels to Europe, Africa, and Asia—shielded from sanctions under the pretense of neutrality,” he said.
9/ The Biden admin largely looked the other way at this madness.
President Trump is confronting it.
A 50% tariff—25% for unfair trade and 25% for national security—is a direct response.
If India, the world’s largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of… pic.twitter.com/XAt6aa4JLA
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) August 28, 2025
He said that Trump is “confronting it” and an additional 25% tariffs for “national security” if a direct response to India for its Russian oil purchase.
“If India, the world’s largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the U.S., it needs to act like one. The road to peace in Ukraine runs through New Delhi,” he said.
The latest tirade comes as PM Modi is in Japan, from where he will travel to China for the SCO Summit. Vladimir Putin is expected to join the Summit, where Xi Jinping will personally welcome both the leaders, Reuters had earlier reported.
