U.S.–India trade relations hit another low on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior trade advisor, Peter Navarro, described India’s purchase of Russian crude oil as “blood money.”
In a strongly worded post on X, Navarro alleged that India did not buy Russian oil in large quantities prior to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, claiming current imports directly fund the Kremlin’s war machine. “Fact: India didn’t buy Russian oil in large quantities before Russia invaded Ukraine. It’s blood money and people are dying,” he wrote.
Navarro’s remarks follow his earlier statement that India’s “highest tariffs cost U.S. jobs” and that “India buys Russian oil purely to profit.” He added that such revenues enable Russia’s military actions, while U.S. taxpayers bear the financial burden of supporting Ukraine.
His posts were quickly flagged by X’s Community Notes feature, which cited media reports — including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s acknowledgment of rising U.S.–Russia trade under Trump’s second term — to challenge Navarro’s claims. Angrily rejecting the notes, Navarro accused Elon Musk of “letting propaganda” shape public perception and claimed Indian “special interests” were interfering in U.S. domestic politics.
The trade advisor went further by controversially accusing “Brahmins” of profiteering at the expense of ordinary Indians — a remark critics said was inflammatory and an attempt to sow division in India’s domestic discourse.
The controversy comes as Trump’s administration has doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, including an additional 25 per cent duty tied specifically to India’s Russian oil purchases. New Delhi has called the move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” questioning why India has been targeted while China — the world’s largest importer of Russian crude — has faced no equivalent penalties.
India continues to defend its energy imports as a matter of national interest and market necessity. Officials stress that discounted Russian oil purchases became critical after Western sanctions in 2022 curtailed global supply options.
The spat adds fresh strain to already tense U.S.–India ties, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump publicly reaffirm their personal friendship.