In a recent development, just a few hours after a whopping 50% increase in tariffs on Indian goods, U.S. advisor and Trump aide Peter Navarro put Indian diplomacy with Russia on the radar.
Claiming the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a “Modi war”, Navarro describes India’s actions as something that has direct effects on the U.S. economy. While the U.S. has made it a mission to criticise India for every trade that involves Russia, i.e. from oil trade to missiles, India considers the increase in tariffs as unfair and seems not to let the autocracy acquire the trade sector of the country.
In a series of tweets, Navarro has heavily criticised India for buying oil from Moscow, stating that funds from the U.S. are ‘wrongly’ used to buy Russian oil in bulk, which is then exported to Europe, Africa and Asia. His tweet claims that India buys Russian oil at a cheaper rate and gives this trade the ‘name of neutrality’.
“Indian refiners buy cheap Russian oil, process it, and export fuels to Europe, Africa, and Asia—shielded from sanctions under the pretence of neutrality.”
India too, does not stay back in defending her strategic diplomacy, where the external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, has openly stated that India will do what’s in her best interest. The country has also raised concerns regarding unwanted pestering of India, whereas countries like China and Europe also do the same.
Speaking during a bilateral meeting in Moscow on August 22, 2025, Jaishankar stated that India is not the largest purchaser of Russian oil; China holds that position. He noted that India’s oil imports from the U.S. have increased, and that earlier U.S. officials had encouraged India to import Russian oil to help stabilize global energy markets. He said he was therefore “very perplexed at the logic of the argument” that India’s actions are unjust.
The democrats of the U.S. also consider this increase as unfair and a direct attack on India only, while there are numerous other nations having a larger scale of trade with Russia.
However, the statements passed by the Leader of the U.S. and his officials show underlying hypocrisy and double standards, where he does not call out Europe and China for their trade relations with Russia. As diplomatic efforts continue to take place behind closed doors, the outcome of this rift will be highly awaited.
