White House trade adviser Peter Navarro says India is fueling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with its continued purchases of Russian oil and must stop.
Mr. Navarro, writing in the Financial Times, said the purchases were part of a worrying trend in which India, a critical ally in the Indo-Pacific, was “cozying up to both Russia and China.”
“If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the U.S., it needs to start acting like one,” he wrote.
President Trump recently said he plans to impose an additional 25% tariff on goods from India to the U.S. as of Aug. 27, citing its purchase of Russian oil.
The president previously announced a tariff of 25%, bringing the total rate to 50%.
“India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,” Mr. Navarro wrote.
U.S. complaints about India’s purchases stretch back to the Biden administration, with American officials complaining that India is taking advantage of the Ukraine conflict to grab discounted prices.
“The Biden administration largely looked the other way at this strategic and geopolitical madness,” Mr. Navarro said in his op-ed. “The Trump administration is confronting it.”
Indian officials say they are being singled out, unfairly, since other countries buy Russian products. Europe relied on Russian gas for many years.
The tension with India is a turnabout from earlier this year, when the nations seemed poised to strike a trade deal after a successful meeting between Vice President J.D. Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Modi and Mr. Trump have a track record of warm relations, and India is considered a counterweight to China’s aggression in the region.
Now, Mr. Navarro is openly criticizing India for moving closer to China.
Mr. Modi is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in China later this month.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to India on Monday for a three-day visit that will focus on border disputes and other topics.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.