'Silent on China while Trump is...': Kanwal Sibal on Navarro's 'India coming to the table' remark
Sibal's take comes at a time when India and the US have restarted trade talks in New Delhi after weeks of tension, following US tariffs imposed in response to India's Russian oil purchases.
- Sep 16, 2025,
- Updated Sep 16, 2025 12:50 PM IST
Former Foreign Secretary of India Kanwal Sibal on Tuesday slammed White House trade advisor Peter Navarro over his recent remarks on the India-US trade deal negotiations. Sibal's take comes at a time when India and the US have restarted trade talks in New Delhi after weeks of tension, following US tariffs imposed in response to India's Russian oil purchases.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Sibal stated that Navarro's claims were both misleading and erroneous. "His claim that our earnings from the US, which are at the cost of US workers, enable us to buy Russian oil, which we never bought before. We didn't buy Russian oil before because it wasn't economical," he said.
Sibal noted that the US has a trade deficit of around $295.5 billion with China in 2024. He further said that Navarro was silent on China, which just signed the Power of Siberia pipeline contract with Russia even as the Ukraine conflict is on.
"Navarro is silent on China, while Trump is enthusiastic about trade negotiations with China. The US had a goods trade deficit of approximately $239.5 billion with the EU in 2024, at the cost of US workers too, according to Navarro's logic. Most cynically, the US now wants the EU to impose penalty tariffs on India for buying Russian oil."
He added that the US created a market for India to buy Russian oil as the US's price cap made it commercially and economically viable for New Delhi to buy Russian crude oil. "The argument that India’s trade surplus with the U.S. at the cost of US workers enabled India to buy Russian oil is ludicrous."
Kanwal Sibal, who has also served as the former Indian Ambassador to Russia, said that the top five US-based oil and gas companies have raked in more than $250 billion in profits between 2021 and 2023, when it comes to profiteering by Indian companies.
He also claimed that family-owned businesses account for around 54 per cent of the US's GDP. "Navarro is intellectually and politically dishonest," Sibal signed off.
What did Peter Navarro say?
US White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said, "India is coming to the table. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a very conciliatory, nice, constructive tweet, and President Trump responded to that. We will see how this works," he told CNBC in an interview.
Navarro noted challenges, stating, "On the trade side, they have the highest tariffs of any major country. They have very high non-tariff barriers. We had to deal with that, like we are dealing with every other country that does that."
He also raised concerns about India's energy policies after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, highlighting, "There is this issue of India buying Russian oil, which it never did before 2022. The Indian refiners got in bed with the Russian refiners immediately after the invasion, and they're making out like bandits. They make money off of us in unfair trade. So American workers get screwed, right?"
India-US trade talks resume
Talks resumed after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent in response to India’s oil imports from Russia. Despite this, both leaders voiced support for ongoing dialogue. Trump said, "I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!"
Prime Minister Modi described the US and India as "close friends and natural partners" and said teams were working to conclude negotiations "at the earliest".
Former Foreign Secretary of India Kanwal Sibal on Tuesday slammed White House trade advisor Peter Navarro over his recent remarks on the India-US trade deal negotiations. Sibal's take comes at a time when India and the US have restarted trade talks in New Delhi after weeks of tension, following US tariffs imposed in response to India's Russian oil purchases.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Sibal stated that Navarro's claims were both misleading and erroneous. "His claim that our earnings from the US, which are at the cost of US workers, enable us to buy Russian oil, which we never bought before. We didn't buy Russian oil before because it wasn't economical," he said.
Sibal noted that the US has a trade deficit of around $295.5 billion with China in 2024. He further said that Navarro was silent on China, which just signed the Power of Siberia pipeline contract with Russia even as the Ukraine conflict is on.
"Navarro is silent on China, while Trump is enthusiastic about trade negotiations with China. The US had a goods trade deficit of approximately $239.5 billion with the EU in 2024, at the cost of US workers too, according to Navarro's logic. Most cynically, the US now wants the EU to impose penalty tariffs on India for buying Russian oil."
He added that the US created a market for India to buy Russian oil as the US's price cap made it commercially and economically viable for New Delhi to buy Russian crude oil. "The argument that India’s trade surplus with the U.S. at the cost of US workers enabled India to buy Russian oil is ludicrous."
Kanwal Sibal, who has also served as the former Indian Ambassador to Russia, said that the top five US-based oil and gas companies have raked in more than $250 billion in profits between 2021 and 2023, when it comes to profiteering by Indian companies.
He also claimed that family-owned businesses account for around 54 per cent of the US's GDP. "Navarro is intellectually and politically dishonest," Sibal signed off.
What did Peter Navarro say?
US White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said, "India is coming to the table. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a very conciliatory, nice, constructive tweet, and President Trump responded to that. We will see how this works," he told CNBC in an interview.
Navarro noted challenges, stating, "On the trade side, they have the highest tariffs of any major country. They have very high non-tariff barriers. We had to deal with that, like we are dealing with every other country that does that."
He also raised concerns about India's energy policies after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, highlighting, "There is this issue of India buying Russian oil, which it never did before 2022. The Indian refiners got in bed with the Russian refiners immediately after the invasion, and they're making out like bandits. They make money off of us in unfair trade. So American workers get screwed, right?"
India-US trade talks resume
Talks resumed after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent in response to India’s oil imports from Russia. Despite this, both leaders voiced support for ongoing dialogue. Trump said, "I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!"
Prime Minister Modi described the US and India as "close friends and natural partners" and said teams were working to conclude negotiations "at the earliest".