Peter Navarro mounts fresh attack amid India-US rapprochement hopes

With Jaishankar representing India at Brics Summit, New Delhi seeks balance in relations with both partners and the US as adviser Navarro renews criticism over Russian oil imports

With External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and not Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attending the Brics summit convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday, New Delhi is seeking to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with both its Brics partners and the United States.

 

Yet barely a day after statements from Washington and New Delhi suggested a softening of the recent strain in ties, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro once again turned to social media to criticise India’s continued procurement of Russian oil.

 

In a related development, political lobbyist Jason Miller, whose firm India engaged for lobbying, met US President Donald Trump and several officials of his administration. Miller heads SHW Partners LLC, which the Indian embassy in Washington hired in April for a reported $1.8 million over a year. Following his meetings, Miller posted several photos, including one with Trump, on social media, without elaborating on the content of his discussions.

 

 

On Saturday, Modi had “fully reciprocated” the US president’s “positive assessment” of the India-US partnership and his appreciation of the “special” relationship between the two nations.

 

New Delhi has bristled at Washington’s attempts to dictate its foreign policy, but has so far restrained itself from directly confronting Trump, opting instead not to react to the US president’s statements. It has criticised his subordinates, such as Navarro, and continued to emphasise that India-US ties across all other sectors -- particularly defence -- remain robust, despite trade tensions.

 

In his latest X post, Navarro wrote: “Wow. Elon Musk is letting propaganda into people’s posts… India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop taking American jobs.”

 

In his latest social media post, Navarro said, "Wow. Elon Musk is letting propaganda into people’s posts... India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn't buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop taking American jobs," Navarro said in a post on X on Saturday. 

 

Navarro’s comments followed a community note appended to his earlier post, which described his claim that India’s purchase of Russian oil “feeds” the Russian “war machine” as “hypocritical”. The note read: “India’s legal, sovereign purchases of Russian oil for energy security do not violate international law. The US, while pressuring India, continues to import billions in Russian goods, like uranium, exposing a clear double standard.”

 

In an official statement issued on Sunday, India cautioned against the weaponisation of export-related measures or their misuse to create artificial scarcity, distort markets, or disrupt supply chains. The statement was made at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Vladivostok on Saturday. India also flagged restrictions on rare earths and fertilisers imposed by China, while noting that some of these restrictions had been lifted on Friday.