Kathmandu, Aug 22: US President Donald Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro sharply criticized India, calling it the “king of tariffs.” He accused India of buying cheap Russian oil and making profits from it, the Deccan Herald reported.

Navarro’s remarks came shortly after Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar responded to US criticism. Jaishankar had said it was the US itself that urged India to purchase Russian oil to help stabilize the global energy market.

Navarro also alleged that India has drawn closer to Chinese President Xi Jinping. He said tensions between India and the US increased after President Trump doubled tariffs on Indian products to 50 percent.

Speaking to American journalists, Navarro said, “Before the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022, India hardly bought Russian oil. It made up only about 1 percent of its total needs. But now it has risen to 35 percent.”

This was Navarro’s second strong attack on India within days. Three days earlier, he had written in the Financial Times questioning India’s purchase of Russian oil. He argued that India’s claim that it needs Russian oil to meet energy demand is not valid.

According to Navarro, “India buys cheap crude oil from Russia, refines it in its refineries, and then sells refined products like petrol and diesel at high prices to Europe, Africa, and Asia.” He described this as profiteering by India’s refinery industry.

“On tariffs, India is a king. India imposes high tariffs and non-tariff barriers,” Navarro said. He added that the US suffers a large trade deficit with India, which he claimed hurts American workers and companies.

Navarro further alleged that India uses its earnings to buy more Russian oil, which in turn allows Russia to make weapons to attack Ukraine. As a result, American taxpayers must provide more money and weapons to Ukraine through their government.

He called this “madness,” saying India refuses to acknowledge its role in the war and is running the whole process as a “profit scheme.”

People’s News Monitoring Service