Earlier, commenting on Trump tariffs on India, Trump’s trade czar, Peter Navarro had made similar allegations, calling the Russia-Ukraine war “Modi’s war”.
Trump Tariffs: Another senior Trump administration official has reiterated Washington’s accusation of India “funding” the Russia-Ukraine war by its voluminous purchase of Russian oil, that has invited punitive tariffs on Indian goods imposed by US President Donald Trump.
What did Trump’s economic adviser say?
Talking to reporters at the White House on Friday, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Donald Trump and his trade team are “disappointed” that India “fund” Russia’s war on Ukraine, adding that he hoped that there will be positive development in the impasse over the India-US trade deal.
Asked about Trump’s Truth Social post earlier, where the US President wrote that “we’ve lost India and Russia” to China, the White House economic adviser said, “Well, we’re certainly hoping that it improves”.
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”, Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform earlier today.
Trump’s trade czar call Russia-Ukraine war as ‘Modi’s war’
Last week, Trump’s trade czar, Peter Navarro had made similar allegations, calling the Russia-Ukraine war “Modi’s war”, and asserting that the “road to peace” (in Ukraine) runs partly “right through New Delhi”.
“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 told Bloomberg in an interview.
The White House trade adviser alleged that “India is helping feed the Russian war machine”, and when asked whether he meant “Putin’s war”, Navarro reiterated that it is “Modi’s war”. “I mean Modi’s war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” he added.
Trump tariffs on India
US President has imposed 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and an additional 25 percent levies for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 percent, with effect from August 27.
India turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
(With inputs from agencies)
