Washington: Hours after US President Donald Trump’s new 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods came into effect, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro sparked a controversy by describing the Russia-Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war.”
In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Navarro argued that New Delhi’s continued purchase of discounted Russian crude was indirectly fuelling Moscow’s military campaign. “I mean Modi's war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” he said, pressing India to halt trade with Russia.
According to Navarro, revenue from India’s discounted oil imports has been used by Moscow to “fund its war machine.” He claimed this has placed additional pressure on the United States to provide Ukraine with military and financial support. “Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing… workers lose because India's high tariffs cost us jobs… and then the taxpayers lose because we got to fund Modi's war,” Navarro said.
The fresh 50 per cent duty, which came into force Wednesday, is the steepest reciprocal tariff the US has imposed on any Asian nation. It impacts more than 55 per cent of Indian exports to the American market, though key sectors such as electronics and pharmaceuticals have been temporarily exempted. Labour-intensive industries like textiles and jewellery, however, are expected to be hit hard.
Navarro hinted that Washington was willing to ease trade tensions if New Delhi shifts its energy stance. “India can get 25 per cent off tomorrow if it stops buying Russian oil and helped to feed the war machine,” he said.
The Trump adviser also accused India of adopting an uncompromising approach in trade talks. “What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this. They say, ‘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 remarked.
Despite prolonged negotiations, Washington and New Delhi have failed to reach a tariff deal. Navarro suggested that India’s energy purchases had undermined efforts at compromise.
India has defended its stance, arguing that its imports of discounted Russian oil are crucial to stabilising domestic energy prices. New Delhi has described the US tariffs as “unjustified.”
India, notably, is the only major economy to face such punitive secondary tariffs, despite China also being a significant buyer of Russian crude.
New Delhi’s reliance on Russian energy rose sharply after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, when the G7 imposed a $60-per-barrel price cap aimed at curbing Kremlin revenues while keeping global supplies stable. US officials have previously acknowledged that India’s discounted purchases were a feature of that mechanism.