White House trade adviser Peter Navarro launched a blistering attack on India on Wednesday, accusing New Delhi of aligning itself with authoritarian powers by deepening its energy ties with Moscow and Beijing. The remarks came just hours after the United States imposed sweeping 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, a move Washington explicitly linked to India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian crude.
“India – you’re getting in bed with authoritarians. China invaded Aksai Chin and all your territory. They are not your friends. And Russia? Come on!” Navarro said in a fiery interview with Bloomberg Television, repeatedly calling Russia’s war in Ukraine “Modi’s war.”
According to Navarro, Moscow is using revenues from India’s oil imports to “fund its war machine to kill more Ukrainians,” while American taxpayers are left paying for Kyiv’s defence. “Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. Consumers, businesses, workers – they lose jobs, factories, income, and higher wages. And then taxpayers lose because we’ve got to fund Modi’s war,” he argued.
Navarro warned that India’s refusal to comply was costing it economically. He hinted that Washington could roll back tariffs by 25 per cent “tomorrow” if New Delhi halts Russian oil imports.
The unusually sharp criticism followed the Trump administration’s decision to double duties on Indian goods from 25 to 50 per cent, directly tying the escalation to India’s energy relationship with Moscow. Despite being among the first to begin tariff negotiations with Washington, India has yet to reach a settlement.
What has angered New Delhi most is the uneven application of tariffs: while India faces punitive measures for buying Russian oil, China has been spared, despite being Moscow’s top energy customer. Navarro himself warned India was “getting in bed” with Beijing, underscoring the contradiction.
Beijing, seizing the opportunity, has moved swiftly to court India. Earlier this month, Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong denounced Washington’s move as “bullying” and declared that China would “firmly stand with India.” He invited closer economic ties, citing complementarities between India’s strengths in IT, software, and biomedicine, and China’s dominance in electronics, infrastructure, and new energy.
India, however, has stood firm. On August 6, the Ministry of External Affairs called the tariffs “extremely unfortunate” and “unjustified,” stressing that energy decisions are guided by market imperatives and national security for 1.4 billion citizens. “We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests,” the ministry said.
Moscow also weighed in, backing New Delhi. Roman Babushkin, Charge d’Affaires at the Russian Embassy, said India would not bow to Western pressure. “Even under challenging circumstances, we do not expect India to stop buying Russian oil. If the West criticises you, it means you are doing everything right,” he said, even suggesting Russia could serve as an alternative export market if India's access to the US narrowed.
Navarro, for his part, dismissed India’s sovereignty-based defence as “arrogance.” “India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, OK? Act like one,” he declared.
The clash highlights how Washington’s tariff escalation, justified in the name of Ukraine, has rapidly evolved into a geopolitical struggle over India’s strategic autonomy — with Moscow and Beijing moving to deepen ties with New Delhi even as Washington tightens economic pressure.
