Trump's trade adviser fingers India's Russian oil purchases as key support for war in Ukraine

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Monday said India’s ongoing purchases of Russian crude oil are directly fueling Russia’s war in Ukraine, and he made it clear that it “has to stop.”

This warning comes just two days after President Donald Trump held a private meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Trump made no threats, imposed no penalties, and offered no consequences — not for Putin’s war, not for the oil trade. But India is getting 50% tariffs and public humiliation, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s supposed “great relationship” with Trump.

Navarro, speaking through a piece in the Financial Times, claimed India is no longer neutral. “New Delhi is now cozying up to both Russia and China,” he wrote, adding, “If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the U.S., it needs to start acting like one.” Trump’s team has made its position public: if India won’t walk away from Russian barrels, it will pay a price elsewhere.

Trump hikes tariffs while India sticks with discounted Russian oil

Earlier this month, Donald Trump slapped another 25% tariff on Indian goods, bringing the total up to 50%. The move, he said, was a direct response to India’s continued oil relationship with Russia. And it hits as India’s Foreign Ministry is already complaining that they’re being unfairly picked on. They point out that both the United States and European Union are still buying other goods from Russia, yet only India gets targeted over oil.

“India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,” Navarro wrote. He also raised alarms about India’s growing ties with both Russia and China, saying that it would be dangerous to hand over advanced U.S. military technology to a government so closely aligned with those two states.

Despite all of this, India isn’t backing off. On Monday, Anuj Jain, head of finance at Indian Oil Corporation, told analysts that the company will continue purchasing Russian crude based on what’s economically favorable.

For the June quarter, Jain said 24% of their oil was from Russia, compared to 22% for the 2024/2025 average. He also confirmed that purchases are ongoing for the September quarter, with discounts currently hovering around $1.50 per barrel compared to the Dubai benchmark.

India and China get closer while Ukraine takes more hits

As pressure builds from Washington, India and China are quietly strengthening their relationship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected in New Delhi this week for talks about their long-standing border dispute.

This quiet diplomacy is playing out while Trump’s administration is cutting off communications with India. A planned visit by U.S. trade negotiators, originally set for August 25–29, has been canceled. The trip was supposed to ease trade tensions and discuss a new agreement. That’s now off the table, killing hopes that New Delhi might see relief from Trump’s new tariffs starting August 27.

While all of this unfolds, Ukraine is once again under fire. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia carried out coordinated attacks to sabotage his planned meeting with Trump in Washington later that same day. “This was a demonstrative and cynical Russian strike,” he wrote on X. Zelenskiy said these attacks were designed to apply pressure and disrupt diplomacy.

Officials reported that a Russian drone strike hit a residential complex in Kharkiv, killing at least seven people, including a 1-year-old girl. In Zaporizhzhia, three more civilians were killed. Zelenskiy said:

“The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything. Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts.”

Despite the bloodshed, Trump continues urging Ukraine to accept a peace agreement. One that many in Kyiv fear will heavily favor Moscow. Analysts estimate that more than 1 million people have either been killed or wounded in this war. Thousands of them have reportedly been civilians, most of them Ukrainians.

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