White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has stepped up pressure on India to curb purchases of Russian energy, casting the Ukraine conflict as `Modi’s war' after Washington imposed steep new tariffs on Indian exports.
“I mean Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” Navarro said on Wednesday, directly referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariff on Indian goods is aimed at punishing India for continuing to import discounted Russian crude.
Navarro argued that such purchases allow Moscow to channel revenues into its war effort. “Russia uses the money it gets to fund its war machine. Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing,” he said. “Consumers, businesses, workers – they all lose. India’s high tariffs cost us jobs, factories, income and higher wages. And then the taxpayers lose because we’ve got to fund Modi’s war.”
The new tariffs, described as the highest “reciprocal levies” in Asia, will apply to more than 55 percent of goods exported to the US, India’s largest overseas market. Electronics and pharmaceuticals are currently exempt, but sectors such as textiles and jewellery will be hit hard.
Despite months of negotiations, the Trump administration expressed frustration at India’s protectionist stance, particularly in agriculture. Navarro accused New Delhi of arrogance, saying: “They say, ‘Oh, we don’t have higher tariffs. 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.”
His remarks echo Trump’s repeated criticism of India’s Russian oil purchases, which he argues bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
India has defended its stance, saying Russian imports are crucial to keeping energy prices low and stabilising its domestic market. Officials have dismissed Washington’s actions as “unjustified”.
Prior to 2022, India relied heavily on Middle Eastern suppliers for crude. That changed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of a $60-per-barrel price cap by the Group of Seven. US officials have acknowledged that discounted Russian cargoes were a built-in feature of that mechanism, ensuring global supply while limiting Kremlin revenues.
Notably, India is the only major economy to face what Trump has called “secondary tariffs”, even though China remains a significant buyer of Russian oil. Washington has taken a more measured approach with Beijing amid a broader trade dispute over rare earths and technology exports.