Amid the heightening tension between India and the United States over the fresh tariff imposed by Donald Trump, a close aide of the US President on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on New Delhi, saying the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is ‘Modi’s war’.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s latest tirade, insinuating India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, came on the day when the additional 25 per cent punitive tariff on Indian imports to the US came into effect.
“Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. The consumers and businesses and everything lose, and workers lose because India’s high tariffs cost us jobs, and factories, and income and higher wages. And then the taxpayers lose because we got to fund Modi’s war,” Navarro said in an interview to Bloomberg TV.
When the anchor asked him whether he misspoke and wanted to say ‘Putin’s war’, the US official replied that he said it intentionally.
“I mean Modi’s war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” he said.
The Trump administration has been accusing New Delhi of funding Putin’s ‘war machine’ through large purchases of Russian oil. The President had even claimed that the high tariff he imposed on Indian goods would exert pressure on Russia to end the war.
Navarro, in the same interview, accused Indians of being arrogant.
“What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this. They say, ‘Oh, we don’t have higher tariffs. Oh, it’s our sovereignty. We can buy oil from any one we want’,” he said. “India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world. Okay? Act like one. Side with the democracies”.
Navarro also lambasted India’s overtures to China and its growing relations with Russia.
“You’re getting in bed with the authoritarians. China, you’ve been at quiet war with them for decades. They invaded Aksai Chin and all your territory. These are not your friends, folks. Okay? And the Russians, I mean, come on,” he said.
Navarro had earlier called India the ‘Maharaja of tariffs’ and accused New Delhi of cheating the US in trade.
“In India, 25% tariffs were put in place because they cheat us on trade. Then 25% because of the Russian oil… They have higher tariffs, Maharaja tariffs,” he had said.
Russia-Ukraine conflict is ‘Modi’s war’, says Trump’s aide amid tariff tension
