Trump aide slams ‘arrogant’ India over Russian oil, dubs Ukraine ‘Modi’s war’

“I mean Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” Navarro said on Wednesday, referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

By purchasing Russian oil “at a discount”, Navarro said, “Russia uses the money it gets to fund its war machine.” That, in turn, has taxed US resources in the form of requests from Kyiv for arms and funding, he argued.

“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, factories and income and higher wages. And then the taxpayers lose because we got to fund Modi’s war,” he added.

The 50 per cent tariffs, the highest “reciprocal levies” in Asia, will hit more than 55 per cent of goods shipped to the US, which is India’s biggest export market. While major products such as electronics and pharmaceuticals are exempt for now, the duties will hit scores of labour-intensive industries like textiles and jewellery.