A top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday accused India of effectively financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to purchase oil from Moscow, as the U.S. leader escalated pressure on New Delhi to halt such imports.
“What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia,” said Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House and one of Trump’s most influential aides, reported Reuters.
Stephen Miller’s criticism marked one of the strongest rebukes yet from the Trump administration toward one of the United States’ key partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
"People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That’s an astonishing fact,” Miller said during an interview on Fox News as reported by Reuters.
The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday that New Delhi will continue purchasing oil from Moscow, despite U.S. threats.
Standing firm on its decision, India stated that its choices are guided by the prevailing global scenario and the best available deals in the market to meet the country’s energy needs.
“Our ties with any country stand on their own merit and should not be viewed through the prism of a third country. As far as India-Russia relations are concerned, we have a steady and time-tested partnership,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
“In securing our energy needs, we are guided by what is available in the markets and by prevailing global circumstances,” he added.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also struck a defiant tone in response to Trump’s tariff threats and emphasized the importance of protecting India’s economic interests amid growing global uncertainty.
“The world economy is going through many apprehensions, there is an atmosphere of instability,” PM Modi said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. “Now, whatever we buy, there should be only one scale: we will buy those things which have been made by the sweat of an Indian.”
On July 30, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods and warned of further penalties over India's purchases of Russian arms and oil.
Immediately following the tariff announcement, Trump launched a blistering attack on New Delhi’s ties with Moscow, dismissing both countries as “dead economies” and bluntly stating that he “does not care” what India does with Russia.
Trump also said he would consider imposing steep tariffs, as high as 100% on imports from any country that continues to buy oil from Russia, unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal with Ukraine.
Despite the harsh rhetoric, Miller tempered his criticism by highlighting Trump’s relationship with Prime Minister Modi, which he described as “tremendous.”
