India-US Tariff War: US President Donald Trump's close adviser and White House trade expert Peter Navarro has once again targeted India. In an interview to CNBC on Sunday (local time), Navarro strongly criticized India's high tariffs, policy of buying oil from Russia and its relations with China. He claims that India is now coming to the trade negotiating table, but the US will have to deal with India's 'trade barriers'. This statement comes when India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA) talks are on the verge of resuming.
Navarro, who is considered the main architect of the Trump administration's trade policies, described India as the 'Maharaja of tariffs'. He said that India's tariffs are far higher than any major economy, which are harming American exporters and workers. In an interview to CNBC International, Navarro said, "India is coming to the negotiating table. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted a very cordial, nice and constructive tweet and President Trump responded to it. Let's see how it works out. The two countries are still negotiating on the trade issue and working on 'trade barriers'. But practically, we know that on the trade front, their tariffs are the highest of any major country. Their non-tariff barriers are very high. We had to deal with it like we are dealing with every other country."
This is Navarro's third consecutive attack on India. In August 2025, the Trump administration had imposed 50% tariffs on India, with an additional 25% duty for buying oil from Russia. This has deeply impacted India's export-dependent industries, especially in textiles, pharmaceuticals and IT sectors. According to the commerce ministry, India's goods trade deficit narrowed in August 2025, but US tariffs have cast a shadow on exports.
US's sudden stance on Russian oil purchase: 'Behaving like bandits'
Navarro also made scathing remarks about India's oil imports from Russia after 2022. He claimed that soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Indian refiners got into 'collusion' with Russian refiners, who are behaving 'like bandits'. Navarro said, "There is also the issue of India buying Russian oil, which it never did. You understand this. It never did this before 2022. I mean, immediately after the invasion, Indian refiners got into cahoots with Russian refiners, and they are acting like bandits. I mean, it's crazy because they make money from us in unfair trade. They said, 'Well, then American workers will suffer, right?'"
The issue has been controversial since 2022. The Biden administration had imposed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil, but the Trump administration tightened it further. India has always argued that it is ensuring energy security by buying cheap oil from Russia, especially amid the global energy crisis. However, Navarro says this is a misuse of money. "Then they use that money to buy Russian oil, and then the Russians buy weapons with that. And then we, as taxpayers, have to pay more for that, to defend Ukraine. How is that possible?" he said.
Just last week, Navarro had called India the 'Kremlin's laundromat' in a post on X (formerly Twitter) which was fact-checked. He claimed that India was funding the war machine by 'profiting' from Russian oil, causing Ukrainian and Russian soldiers to die.
'Alliance' with China and Russia: Questions raised on Modi's foreign policy
Navarro also took a dig at India-China relations. He criticised Prime Minister Modi for sharing a platform with China, which is a 'long-term existential threat' to India. "It was an interesting phase to see Modi on the same stage with China, which has been a long-term existential threat to him. And also with Putin. I don't think he felt comfortable doing that," he said.
The comments came in the context of the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit where Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Navarro called India "arrogant" and said that India justifies high tariffs by citing its sovereignty.
India-US trade talks: What will be the next step?
Just before Navarro's statement, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said that India does not buy a single grain of American corn despite having a population of 1.4 billion. He warned that India will have a "tough time" in trade with the US if tariffs are not reduced.
The sixth round of BTA talks between India and the US was postponed in August, but now US chief negotiator Brendan Lynch is scheduled to visit Delhi. India has called the tariffs 'unfair and disproportionate', while the US says it will strengthen global efforts to isolate Russia.
Experts believe Navarro's statements are part of Trump's 'America First' policy, which is targeting India after China. Although the defence and technology cooperation between the two countries is strong, the trade dispute could escalate. The outcome of the talks in the coming days will decide whether India-US relations will strengthen or tensions will increase.