WASHINGTON, D.C.- Peter Navarro, a trade adviser at the White House, said something that made things worse between the US and India in terms of commerce and diplomacy. Navarro said explicitly on Bloomberg TV’s Balance of Power that India’s energy policy are to blame for the continuing war in Ukraine.
When the host asked him if he had said the wrong thing and meant “Putin’s war,” Navarro stood firm and said, “I mean Modi’s war, because the road to peace goes through New Delhi.” He said that the money Russia makes by selling oil to India at a discount is used to “fund its war machine,” which in turn makes the U.S. provide Ukraine additional military aid.
Navarro also said that India was “arrogant” in its position because it said that buying Russian oil was an issue of “sovereignty.” He said that India’s high tariffs on American goods hurt American jobs and are part of a “refining profiteering scheme” in which India refines Russian crude oil and sells the products for a higher price.
Navarro has used tough words to attack India’s trade policy before. He used to call India the “Maharaja of tariffs” and the “Kremlin’s laundromat.”
Navarro’s most recent comments come after the Trump administration’s extra 25% tariffs on Indian imports, which are meant to punish New Delhi for buying Russian oil. India has branded the increased charges “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.” They raise the overall tax on a wide range of commodities to 50%.
The Indian government has always said that its energy acquisitions are based on the country’s best interests and the necessity to keep its people safe when it comes to electricity. The Ministry of External Affairs has also called out the U.S. for being hypocritical, saying that China is the top importer of Russian oil and the European Union is still the greatest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia, but neither has had to pay equivalent tariffs.