Washington, D.C.: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has launched a blistering attack on India for its continued purchases of Russian energy and defence equipment, accusing New Delhi of undermining Western efforts to isolate Moscow. Writing in the Financial Times, Navarro pledged that the Trump administration would “hit India where it hurts” through punitive tariffs unless it realigns its policy.
Calling India’s energy trade with Russia “opportunistic” and “corrosive,” Navarro argued that dollars earned from trade with the United States were being channelled into Russian oil purchases — which in turn, he said, strengthened Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
“As Russia continues to hammer Ukraine, helped by India’s financial support, American and European taxpayers are forced to spend tens of billions more on Kyiv’s defence. Meanwhile, India slams the door on US exports with high tariffs and trade barriers. NATO’s eastern flank grows more exposed, while the West foots the bill for India’s oil laundering,” Navarro wrote.
Tariff Measures Escalate
President Donald Trump had already announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods in July, citing trade imbalances. Navarro revealed that a second 25% levy — this time directly linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil — will come into effect next week. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has denounced the tariffs as “unreasonable” and “extremely unfortunate.”
Navarro also accused Indian refiners of “profiteering” by buying discounted Russian crude and re-exporting processed products to Europe, Africa, and Asia, adding that the post-2022 surge in imports was “not driven by domestic needs.” He faulted the Biden administration for “looking the other way” while hailing Trump’s approach as a corrective.
“This two-pronged policy will hit India where it hurts — its access to US markets — even as it seeks to cut off the financial lifeline extended to Russia’s war effort. If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner, it needs to act like one,” Navarro said.
Wider Trump Administration Criticism
Navarro’s remarks are the latest in a string of sharp rebukes from senior Trump officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, all of whom have voiced concern over India’s close ties with Moscow.
He also expanded his critique to defence cooperation, questioning the wisdom of transferring sensitive US defence technologies to Indian factories, arguing it brought “little benefit” to Washington’s trade balance. “India is cozying up to both Russia and China,” Navarro alleged.
Pushback From Former US Officials
However, not all American voices are aligned. Evan Feigenbaum, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia under George W. Bush, dismissed Navarro’s assertions as “strategic malpractice.”
“The bigger issue is that senior principals authorised this piece. Either they agree with Navarro, don’t agree but let it through, or simply don’t care. This marks a troubling narrative shift: Washington has effectively pivoted from a trade war and strategic friction with China to a trade war and strategic friction with India. That is just bad strategy,” said Feigenbaum, who helped negotiate the landmark US-India civilian nuclear deal.
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