White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said India must stop buying and selling Russian oil if it wishes to garner favor with the Trump administration, which has upped tariffs on New Delhi to 50 percent.
President Trump this month announced an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods over the country’s purchases of Russian oil, arguing India is fueling Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine. The new tariff, which is set to take effect next week, adds to the 25 percent “reciprocal” tax on Indian imports already in place.
Navarro doubled down on the administration’s position in an op-ed Monday in the Financial Times, saying the proceeds from the crude oil “flow to India’s politically connected energy titans, and in turn, into [Russian President] Vladimir Putin’s war chest.”
“India’s dependence on Russian crude is opportunistic and deeply corrosive of the world’s efforts to isolate Putin’s war economy. In effect, India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,” Navarro wrote in the op-ed.
Navarro touted the “two-pronged policy” approach to tariffs on Indian imports, saying it will “hit India where it hurts — its access to US markets.”
“If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the US, it needs to start acting like one,” Navarro wrote.
India has remained defiant in the face of U.S. tariff threats and has accused administration officials of being hypocritical. Past administrations encouraged the India-Russia energy trade to help stabilize global markets, and both the U.S. and Europe continue to spend billions on Russian energy and commodities.
“In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,” a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement earlier this month responding to Trump’s tariff threats over Russian oil.
“Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the spokesperson added.
The Navarro op-ed comes as Trump readied to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders to debrief after his historic summit with Putin on Friday.
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