Washington, August 28 (HS): Hours after US President Donald Trump’s sweeping 50% tariff on Indian exports came into force, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro ignited a diplomatic storm, dubbing the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war.”

Navarro argued that India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian crude oil was effectively bankrolling Moscow’s military campaign, while straining American taxpayers with the burden of propping up Ukraine’s defense.

“In buying Russian oil, India isn’t just lowering its own fuel bill—it’s financing Putin’s war machine,” Navarro told Bloomberg Television. He warned that New Delhi could win an instant 25% tariff reduction if it halted purchases from Moscow.

The sharp escalation marks the harshest reciprocal US duty on any Asian economy, covering more than half of India’s exports to America, especially labor-heavy sectors like textiles and jewellery. Electronics and pharmaceuticals, however, remain largely unaffected.

Navarro’s remarks carried a biting edge: “Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing…workers lose jobs, taxpayers pay for Modi’s war.” He also criticized India’s refusal to bow to US pressure, calling New Delhi’s stance on sovereignty “arrogant.”

India, for its part, has defended its reliance on Russian oil as vital for insulating its domestic economy from volatile global energy prices, dismissing Washington’s punitive tariffs as “unjustified.”

The timing has further deepened fissures in Indo-US trade ties, which were already under strain despite months of high-level negotiations. Notably, India is the only major nation directly penalized under Trump’s “secondary tariff” regime, even though China also remains one of Russia’s top crude buyers.

The dispute underscores the precarious balance between Washington’s geopolitical goals and New Delhi’s energy security imperatives—fueling fears of a wider rift between two strategic partners.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar