A White House official has described Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine as Indian Prime Minister Narendra "Modi's war", stepping up pressure on Delhi to stop buying oil from Moscow. US Trade Adviser Peter Navarro's comments came hours after US tariffs of 50% on Indian goods kicked in on Wednesday. The tariffs, among the highest in the world, include a 25% penalty for purchase of weapons and oil from Russia which, the US claims, is a key source of funds for its war in Ukraine. India has called the tariffs unfair and says it will not scale back purchases, insisting it will seek the "best deal" on oil to safeguard the interests of its 1.4 billion people. Russia, which supplied less than 2% of India's crude before it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, now accounts for 35-40% of Delhi's oil imports, making it the largest source. But India has pointed out that the US has not imposed similar additional tariffs on China, which is the largest importer of Russian oil, or the European Union, which still conducts a huge amount of trade with Russia. Navarro's iteration of the US position came in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "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 was quoted saying. When asked if he actually meant "Putin's war" instead, Mr Navarro said: "I mean Modi's war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi." Navarro then went on to add: "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 anyone we want.' India, you're the biggest democracy in the world, okay, act like one." Navarro's comments came on the day US tariffs of 50% on goods from India took effect, a move that will disrupt millions of livelihoods across the country's export-driven industries. India supplies everything, from clothes to diamonds and shrimp to American consumers. But despite the war of words between Delhi and Washington — and cancellation of trade negotiations which were set to begin earlier this week — there is still hope of a way out for India, which remains a vital strategic US partner in the Indo-Pacific region. Analysts say comments by another US official — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — expressing confidence in bilateral ties with India point in that direction. "I do think India's the world's largest democracy; the US is the world's largest economy. I think at the end of the day we will come together," Mr Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday. The tariff setback has sent the Indian government into firefighting mode. Delhi has said the immediate impact on Indian exports appears limited, but the ripple effects on the economy pose challenges that require immediate solutions. Earlier this month, Modi promised to cut taxes to mitigate the impact of tariffs. In its monthly review report for July released on Wednesday, India's finance ministry said that ongoing India-US trade negotiations "will be crucial" in this regard. — BBC
