WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 — Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has drawn sharp criticism after calling the Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war,” accusing India of bankrolling Russia’s military campaign through its continued imports of discounted Russian crude.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Navarro praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “a great leader” but at the same time issued some of his strongest rebukes of New Delhi’s policies. “This is a mature democracy with intelligent people running it. And yet, they look us bald-faced in the eye and deny they have the highest tariffs in the world, when in fact they do,” Navarro remarked.
According to him, the burden ultimately falls on Americans. “When India buys Russian oil at a discount, refines it, and resells it at a premium, Russia uses the proceeds to fund its war machine and kill more Ukrainians. Then Ukraine turns to us and Europe for more money,” Navarro argued. “So everybody in America loses — consumers, businesses, workers — and taxpayers most of all, because we end up funding Modi’s war.”
Navarro floated a counterproposal, suggesting Washington could cut tariffs on Indian goods by 25 percent if New Delhi agreed to halt Russian oil purchases. “The road to peace runs in part through New Delhi,” he noted, insisting that India’s energy choices were bolstering Moscow.
The remarks come amid worsening strains in US-India ties. Earlier this year, Washington doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50 percent, citing trade imbalances and New Delhi’s continuing energy partnership with Russia. Negotiations on easing trade tensions have since stalled, with both sides digging in.
Indian officials, meanwhile, have defended their imports of Russian crude as a matter of affordability and national interest. They have also pointed out that Western nations continue to buy Russian-linked commodities, undermining what they say is a selective moral argument against India’s purchases.
