NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, Peter Navarro, sparked controversy on Sunday after a post in which he accused India of profiteering from Russian oil imports was flagged and fact-checked by X.
In the post, Navarro alleged, “India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukranians. Stop taking American jobs.” He also reiterated claims from previous posts: “FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth/spins @washpo Leftist American fake news.”
X users, through community notes, highlighted that India’s purchases of Russian oil were legal and aimed at energy security rather than mere profit.
One noted stated, “India’s Russian oil purchases are for energy security, not just profit, and don’t violate sanctions. While India has some tariffs, the US has a trade surplus with it in services. The US also continues to import certain commodities from Russia which is hypocritical.”
Another note emphasized that “Navarro’s claims are hypocritical. India’s legal, sovereign purchases of Russian oil for energy security do not violate international law.”
Furious at being fact-checked, Navarro targeted Elon Musk, writing, “Wow. @elonmusk is letting propaganda into people’s posts. That crap note below is just that. Crap.”
The incident comes amid heightened US-India trade tensions following Trump’s imposition of additional tariffs on Indian imports. The punitive measures, which took effect on August 27, raised the total US duties on Indian goods to 50 percent, with Navarro repeatedly citing India’s Russian oil trade as justification.
Navarro’s attacks on India have been consistent and often inflammatory. In previous posts, he referred to India as the “Maharaja of tariffs” and a “laundromat for the Kremlin”, and described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war”.
He also made a casteist remark, claiming, “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of Indian people,” which the Indian government promptly rejected. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen some inaccurate statements made by him. We reject them.”
Despite Navarro’s continued criticism, US President Trump has sought to maintain cordial ties with India, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi “a friend” and emphasising that India-US relations remain “special”. Navarro, however, shows no signs of moderating his rhetoric, and his posts on X continue to stir diplomatic sensitivities.
