NEW DELHI: Two of Donald Trump’s top economic advisers, Kevin Hassett and Peter Navarro, have issued sharp warnings to India, escalating pressure over its continued imports of Russian oil and refusal to open its markets to American goods.
Their remarks, delivered in separate interviews, signal a renewed hardline posture from the Trump administration as it links trade policy with geopolitical alignment.
Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council, directly tied Washington’s steep new tariffs on Indian imports to New Delhi’s stance on Russia. “If the Indians don't budge, I don't think President Trump will,” he said, calling trade negotiations with India “complicated” and criticising what he called “Indian intransigence” on opening its markets.
The Trump administration doubled tariffs on Indian imports to a record 50%, the highest rate imposed on any country besides Brazil. Half of that increase is linked to India's purchase of Russian crude oil, a move US officials claim undermines Western sanctions and prolongs the war in Ukraine.
“This isn’t just about trade,” Hassett said. “Part of it has been tied to the pressure we’ve been trying to put on Russia in order to secure a peace deal and save millions of lives. And then there’s the Indian intransigence about opening their markets to our products.”
Navarro, the White House Trade Advisor, took the criticism further accusing India of enabling Russia’s “war effort.”
In an interview with Bloomberg, Navarro provocatively dubbed the Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war,” blaming India for prolonging the fighting by continuing its discounted oil purchases from Moscow.
“Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing,” Navarro said. “Consumers lose, businesses lose, workers lose because of high Indian tariffs. And the taxpayer? They fund Modi’s war.”
He also lashed out at India’s insistence on sovereign decision-making in energy policy, calling it “arrogant,” and accused the country of siding with authoritarians. “India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world. Act like one. Side with the democracies,” he said, lumping India’s Russia and China ties into a broader critique of its foreign policy alignment.
The aggressive rhetoric highlights the growing strain in the US-India relationship. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had earlier accused India of dragging its feet in trade talks that were once expected to yield a deal by mid-year. “They, kind of, tapped us along,” Bessent told Fox Business. “This is a very complicated relationship.”
Despite the tough stance, officials have left the door open to future progress. “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” Hassett said, suggesting the administration still sees long-term potential in the relationship, even if the current phase is marked by confrontation.
India, for its part, has pushed back firmly. The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the tariff hike as “extremely unfortunate,” and emphasized that its energy decisions are based on market needs, not politics.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had pointed out the double standards. “We are not the biggest buyer of Russian oil, that’s China. Nor of LNG, that’s the EU,” he said. “We were actually encouraged to stabilise global energy markets, including through Russian oil purchases. The logic now being used against us is perplexing.”