A senior aide to US President Donald Trump has sharply criticised India for continuing to purchase oil from Russia, alleging that such actions are effectively helping to fund the war in Ukraine. The remarks come amid growing pressure from Trump and his team on New Delhi to align more closely with US foreign policy objectives.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, in a strongly worded interview on Fox News' “Sunday Morning Futures” said, “What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia.”
Miller added, “People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact.”
He further questioned India’s posture as a close US ally. “India portrays itself as being one of our closest friends in the world, but they don't accept our products, they impose massive tariffs on us, we also know they engage in a lot of cheating on immigration policies, which is very harmful to American workers. And of course, we see again, the purchasing of oil,” from Russia, Miller said.
While strongly critical, Miller noted that Trump still values ties with Indian leadership. “Trump wants a tremendous relationship and has always had a tremendous relationship with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said, but stressed that the US must “get real about dealing with the financing of this (Ukraine) war.”
“So President Trump, all options are on the table to deal diplomatically, financially and otherwise with the ongoing war in Ukraine, so we can achieve peace and end the war that the Democrat Party and Joe Biden are responsible for,” Miller said.
The criticism follows Trump's own remarks last week, where he pointed to trade imbalances and India’s defense purchases from Russia. “India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any country,” he had said.
He added, “Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine — All things not good!”
As a consequence, Trump said India would be subject to a 25% tariff starting August 1, along with additional penalties.
Amid these escalating tensions, India has signaled its intent to maintain energy ties with Russia. Government sources told Reuters that New Delhi would continue oil purchases from Moscow, prioritising national interest despite US threats.
Responding to Trump’s remarks in Parliament, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal emphasised India’s economic resilience. He said that India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and is widely expected to become the third-largest in the near future. On US tariffs, Goyal added that India would take all necessary steps to “safeguard and promote national interest,” and that the implications of the new trade duties were under review.