White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Tuesday pushed back against criticism from India over his statements about New Delhi’s trade ties with Russia, telling reporters at the White House that online attacks were unhelpful and “not how we resolve problems here in America.” He said he had been “firebombed” on the internet and urged critics to stop what he called “nasty little attacks.”
Navarro, who advises President Donald Trump on trade and manufacturing, has repeatedly criticized India’s purchase of Russian oil and defended U.S. retaliatory tariffs aimed at those purchases. He has also accused India of using high tariffs to block American exports, once dubbing the country the “Maharaja of tariffs.”
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Navarro said India had not been involved in Russian oil trade before the 2022 invasion but became “heavily involved” afterward, allegedly selling refined products on Russia’s behalf. He told reporters the issue has since been resolved and suggested his Financial Times op-ed played a role, saying, “Maybe, I had a little bit to do with that with that op-ed.”
In that Financial Times column, Navarro described India’s oil dealings as “opportunistic” and “corrosive” to efforts to isolate the Russian economy. He argued that revenue from oil sales helped fund Russia’s war effort and shifted costs onto Western taxpayers, a claim that linked India’s purchases to broader geopolitical and economic consequences.
A few days after the column, Navarro intensified his rhetoric, labeling India a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and at times referring to the conflict as “Modi’s war,” asserting that Moscow’s oil income funded its military operations in Ukraine.
New Delhi has repeatedly rejected Navarro’s characterizations. In September last year, the External Affairs Ministry dismissed his remarks as “inaccurate and misleading,” with ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying India “rejects” the statements. The dispute underscores continuing tensions between U.S. trade officials and India over tariffs, energy purchases and differing approaches to Russia since the war began.
Original Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/donald-trump-aide-peter-navarro-firebombed-by-india-over-remarks-against-russian-oil-purchases-modi-us-trade-deal-101786497558291.html
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Publish Date: 2026-08-12 10:29:00
