WASHINGTON, D.C. — Peter Navarro, the Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing for U.S. President Donald Trump, has stepped up the administration’s criticism on India. He called the ongoing crisis in Ukraine “Modi’s war” and said that India is helping to pay for it.
Navarro remarked in a recent TV appearance, “What India is doing is bad for everyone in America.” People, businesses, and workers all lose… And then the taxpayers lose because we have to pay for Modi’s war. He said that India could achieve a 25% decrease in its tariff rate if it ceased buying electricity from Russia.
The U.S. recently added a 25% tariff to Indian goods since India kept buying Russian oil. This brought the total duty to 50%. This action, which went into effect on Wednesday, is one of the largest levies the U.S. has ever put on an Asian economy.
Navarro, a well-known trade hawk from the first Trump administration, didn’t believe India’s defense of its program, which is based on energy security and market-driven judgments. He said India’s position was “arrogant” and told the country, which is the world’s largest democracy, to “side with the democracies” instead of “getting in bed with the authoritarians.” He also said that India’s border problems with China were another cause for New Delhi to become closer to Washington.
India has always defended its stance by saying that buying Russian oil is necessary for its energy security. New Delhi has also said that other countries, like those in Europe, still trade energy and other important goods with Russia. Indian officials have said that the U.S. had previously supported and backed India’s choice to acquire Russian oil to help stabilize the world’s energy markets.
Some Trump administration officials, like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have been more moderate and hopeful about a future trade deal. However, Navarro’s comments are a big step up in the rhetoric, directly attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and linking the trade dispute to geopolitical conflict in a way that has never been done before.