A senior White House trade adviser has touched off a diplomatic storm by describing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “Modi’s war,” sharply criticizing India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian oil.
Peter Navarro, the U.S. trade adviser, made the remark in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday, just hours after sweeping U.S. tariffs on Indian goods—some as high as 50 percent—took effect. The duties include a 25 percent penalty linked directly to India’s imports of Russian oil and weapons, which Washington argues bankroll Moscow’s war machine.
“Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing,” Navarro said. “Taxpayers lose because we’ve got to fund Modi’s war.” Pressed on whether he meant “Putin’s war,” Navarro doubled down: “I mean Modi’s war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi.”
India has rejected the tariffs as unfair and vowed not to scale back purchases. Before the invasion, Russia supplied less than 2 percent of India’s crude; today it accounts for 35 to 40 percent, making Moscow Delhi’s largest supplier. Indian officials note that Washington has not imposed similar penalties on China—the top buyer of Russian oil—or on European nations that maintain significant trade with Moscow.
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Navarro accused India of arrogance, saying New Delhi “acts like it can buy oil from anyone” under the banner of sovereignty. His comments coincided with the cancellation of planned trade talks this week, further straining relations.
Despite the harsh rhetoric, other U.S. officials struck a conciliatory tone. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business that the U.S. and India remain bound by shared strategic interests. “India is the world’s largest democracy; the U.S. is the world’s largest economy,” he said. “At the end of the day, we will come together.”
The tariff shock has forced India into damage control. Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged tax cuts to soften the blow, while his finance ministry warned of ripple effects on export-driven industries ranging from textiles to seafood. Delhi’s July economic review called the continuation of trade negotiations with Washington “crucial.”
