US trade adviser Peter Navarro recently made a big statement and said India’s purchase of Russian oil was funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine. He also said that this has to stop and stated that New Delhi was “now cozying up to both Russia and China.”
Navarro wrote in an opinion piece published in the Financial Times and said, “If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the US, it needs to start acting like one.”
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said that New Delhi is being unfairly singled out for buying Russian oil. Notably, the US and European Union continue to purchase goods from Russia.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods. He said the move came after India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. This took the total tariffs on imports from India to 50%.
What did Navarro say?
“India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,” he said.
He added that New Delhi is “now cozying up to both Russia and China,” and said it was risky to transfer cutting-edge US military capabilities to India.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said that sanctioning China for buying Russian oil could create global problems.
Rubio was asked in an interview with Fox News that if Europe could face sanctions for continuing to buy Russian oil. He said that secondary sanctions carry major risks. Using China as an example, Rubio said that if Washington moved to block Russian oil sales to Beijing, China would simply refine that oil and release it into the global market. That would push up prices for everyone.
ALSO READ: Marco Rubio Warns China Sanctions on Russian Oil Could Backfire Globally
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
