'This is Modi's war...', US connects India with Russia-Ukraine war amid tariff war

Hours after US President Donald Trump imposed a massive 50 per cent tariff on India, his trade advisor, Peter Navarro, called the Russia-Ukraine war "Modi's war".

Navarro claims that India's purchase of cheap oil from Russia is fuelling Moscow's military aggression. He put pressure on India by saying that if New Delhi stops buying oil from Russia, the US can reduce the tariff imposed on India by 25 per cent.

Navarro said in an interview with Bloomberg Television, "This is Modi's war, because the path to peace passes through New Delhi."

He was referring to India's purchase of oil from Russia, in return for which Moscow gets money, and it invests this money in its war.

India says that it is trying to save its people from inflation by buying cheap oil, but the US sees it as helping Russia.

Trump's tariff bomb

Trump on Wednesday imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, double the 25 per cent tariff imposed earlier this month. The tariff will apply to more than 55 per cent of Indian goods exported to the US.

The US is India's biggest export market, and the tariff will hit labour-intensive industries such as textiles and jewellery hard. However, some essential goods such as electronics and pharmaceuticals have been exempted for now.

Navarro claimed that the US is also suffering losses because of India's purchase of oil from Russia. He said, "India's high tariffs are costing the US jobs, factories, and income. Also, US taxpayers are having to spend more to help Ukraine because India is funding Russia's war." Tariff exemption offered to India

Navarro told India that if it stops buying oil from Russia, the US can immediately reduce the 50 percent tariff to 25 percent. He also accused India of "arrogance" and said, "India is the world's largest democracy; it should behave accordingly."

Navarro says that India's purchase of cheap oil from Russia is helping Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

But India has defended its stance. India says that it is its compulsion to buy cheap oil from Russia, so that oil prices in the country remain under control and the general public gets relief. India has called the US tariff "unfair" and said that it can buy oil from any country under its sovereignty.