India’s purchase of Russian oil has to stop, says US trade adviser

The US authoritative says India’s import was giving Moscow ‘the dollars it needs’ arsenic helium accused New Delhi of cozying up to China and Russia.

White House commercialized advisor Peter Navarro says India’s purchases of Russian crude lipid are backing Moscow’s warfare successful Ukraine and person to stop, arsenic Washington ramps up unit connected New Delhi to chopped disconnected its vigor imports from Russia.

“India acts arsenic a planetary clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports portion giving Moscow the dollars it needs,” Navarro wrote successful an sentiment portion published successful the Financial Times connected Monday.

He added that India’s dependence connected Russian crude is “opportunistic and profoundly corrosive of the world’s efforts to isolate Putin’s warfare economy”.

India is the second-largest purchaser of Russian oil, aft China, and much than 30 percent of its substance is sourced from Moscow, providing gross to the Kremlin amid Western sanctions.

In the opening of this month, United States President Donald Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs connected Indian goods implicit the issue, straining US-India ties.

In a code connected the juncture of India’s Independence Day connected Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi struck a defiant note, pledging to support his country’s farmers successful the look of precocious tariffs slapped by the Trump administration.

“Modi volition basal similar a partition against immoderate argumentation that threatens their interests. India volition ne'er compromise erstwhile it comes to protecting the interests of our farmers,” helium said.

White House commercialized advisor Peter Navarro [File: Will Oliver/EPA]

India-Russia ties

India counts Russia among its closest defence partners, with the bulk of its weapons, including the S-400 rocket defence system, sourced from Moscow. India has continued to support bully ties with Russia, with Modi gathering Putin successful Moscow amid the Ukraine war.

But New Delhi has been cultivating ties with Washington successful the past decades, raising their relations to a strategical level. The 2 countries person yearly bilateral commercialized of $128bn, but Trump has been pushing to little the $45bn shortage successful India’s favour.

The US besides saw India arsenic a bulwark against rising China, but the caller actions by the Trump medication look to person pushed India to mend ties with its rival, China.

Indian Prime Minister Modi is acceptable to question to China astatine the extremity of the month, portion Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is arriving successful India connected Monday connected a two-day trip, for talks connected the disputed borderline betwixt the 2 countries.

In the sentiment portion connected Monday, the White House advisor pointed retired that India is “cozying up” to Russia and China. “If India wants to beryllium treated arsenic a strategical spouse of the US, it needs to commencement acting similar one,” Navarro wrote.

The advisor besides said it was risky to transportation cutting-edge US subject capabilities to India arsenic New Delhi’s ties to China and Russia deepen.

Navarro is the 2nd elder Trump medication authoritative to impeach India of financing Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine. Stephen Miller, lawman main of unit astatine the White House, successful the archetypal week of August said that New Delhi’s acquisition of Russia crude was “not acceptable”.

“What helium (Trump) said precise intelligibly is that it is not acceptable for India to proceed financing this warfare by purchasing the lipid from Russia,” Miller, 1 of Trump’s astir influential aides, said successful an interrogation with Fox News.

‘Unfairly singled out’

India’s Foreign Ministry has said the state is being ‘unfairly’ singled retired for buying Russian lipid portion the US and European Union proceed to bargain goods from Russia.

The EU and US commercialized overmuch much with Russia than India does – New Delhi’s contention for being singled retired – though this commercialized has dipped importantly since Russia invaded Ukraine successful February 2022.

According to the EU, its full commercialized with Russia was worthy 67.5 cardinal euros ($77.9bn) successful 2024, a autumn from 257.5 cardinal euros ($297.4bn) successful 2021.

The bloc besides continues to bargain Russian state – $105.6bn for state imports since the warfare began – an magnitude equivalent to 75 percent of Russia’s 2024 subject budget, according to the Finnish deliberation vessel the Centre for Research connected Energy and Clean Air.

Total Russia-US commercialized successful 2024, meanwhile, stood astatine $5.2bn, according to the US Trade Representative’s bureau – though importantly down from 2021, erstwhile it stood astatine $36bn.

India and the US person besides been haggling for months to hold connected a escaped commercialized agreement, with Trump accusing New Delhi of denying entree to US goods by imposing precocious tariffs.

Meanwhile, a planned sojourn by US commercialized negotiators to New Delhi from August 25 to 29 has been called off, a root told the Reuters quality agency, delaying talks connected a projected commercialized statement meant to beryllium a alleviation from further US tariffs connected Indian goods.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies