India slams Peter Navarro’s ‘misleading’ Russia oil jibe, defends US partnership
Responding, Jaiswal stressed that the India-US relationship remains vital. "This relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges," he said.
- Sep 5, 2025,
- Updated Sep 5, 2025 6:27 PM IST
India rejected as "inaccurate and misleading" White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s remarks on its purchase of Russian crude oil. "We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously reject them," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on September 5. He also dismissed Navarro’s controversial claim about “Brahmins profiteering.”
Last week, Navarro accused India of acting as an "oil money laundromat for the Kremlin" and indulging in "strategic freeloading" by continuing to buy Russian weapons while pressing the US for sensitive defence technology transfers and manufacturing partnerships.
"If India, the world's largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the US, it needs to act like one," Navarro said in a series of social media posts targeting New Delhi.
Responding, Jaiswal stressed that the India-US relationship remains vital. "This relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. Both our countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in our shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties. This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to, and we hope that the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests. As you would have seen, I would draw your attention to a joint military exercise that is underway in Alaska," he said.
On trade, he noted that India remains engaged with the US side while also highlighting the role of the Quad forum. He further said, "As far as the Ukraine conflict is concerned, we welcome all the recent efforts towards establishing peace in Ukraine. We hope that all parties will proceed constructively. India supports an early end to the conflict and the establishment of enduring peace."
Bilateral tensions have escalated after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, including an additional 25 per cent levy linked to India’s Russian crude purchases. While India described the move as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," New Delhi also pointed out the absence of similar US measures against China, the largest buyer of Russian oil.
India has defended its energy policy, insisting procurement is guided by national interest and market realities. Since Western nations sanctioned Moscow in 2022, Russia’s share in India’s oil imports has surged from 1.7 per cent in 2019-20 to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, making it India’s top supplier.
India rejected as "inaccurate and misleading" White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s remarks on its purchase of Russian crude oil. "We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously reject them," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on September 5. He also dismissed Navarro’s controversial claim about “Brahmins profiteering.”
Last week, Navarro accused India of acting as an "oil money laundromat for the Kremlin" and indulging in "strategic freeloading" by continuing to buy Russian weapons while pressing the US for sensitive defence technology transfers and manufacturing partnerships.
"If India, the world's largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the US, it needs to act like one," Navarro said in a series of social media posts targeting New Delhi.
Responding, Jaiswal stressed that the India-US relationship remains vital. "This relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. Both our countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in our shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties. This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to, and we hope that the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests. As you would have seen, I would draw your attention to a joint military exercise that is underway in Alaska," he said.
On trade, he noted that India remains engaged with the US side while also highlighting the role of the Quad forum. He further said, "As far as the Ukraine conflict is concerned, we welcome all the recent efforts towards establishing peace in Ukraine. We hope that all parties will proceed constructively. India supports an early end to the conflict and the establishment of enduring peace."
Bilateral tensions have escalated after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, including an additional 25 per cent levy linked to India’s Russian crude purchases. While India described the move as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," New Delhi also pointed out the absence of similar US measures against China, the largest buyer of Russian oil.
India has defended its energy policy, insisting procurement is guided by national interest and market realities. Since Western nations sanctioned Moscow in 2022, Russia’s share in India’s oil imports has surged from 1.7 per cent in 2019-20 to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, making it India’s top supplier.