A senior aide to US President Donald Trump has accused India of indirectly funding Russia's war in Ukraine by buying Russian oil. This statement comes amid heightened efforts by the Trump administration to pressure New Delhi to stop trading with Moscow.
Not acceptable for India to continue financing this war
Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of Trump's most influential aides, said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures", said that Trump clearly believes India should stop buying Russian oil.
"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...People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact," Miller said.
He asserted that Trump "wants a tremendous relationship and has always had a tremendous relationship with India" as well as with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "But we need to get real about dealing with the financing of this 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," he added.
India continues buying Russian oil despite Trump's tariff pressure
Despite mounting pressure from the US, India has made it clear that it will not halt its oil imports from Russia. According to news agency ANI sources, India has stated that the country will continue procuring Russian oil to meet its energy needs.
Providing context for India's decision to continue sourcing oil from Russian suppliers, sources said that Russia, the world's second-largest crude oil producer with an output of around 9.5 mb/d (nearly 10% of global demand), is also the second-largest exporter, shipping about 4.5 mb/d of crude and 2.3 mb/d of refined products. Fears of Russian oil being pushed out of the market and the consequent dislocation of traditional trade flows drove dated Brent crude prices to soar to US $137 per barrel in March 2022.
Earlier, US President Trump on Friday (local time) claimed that India may cease purchasing Russian oil, calling it "a good step" if confirmed, while India has defended its sovereign right to conduct energy policy based on national interest.
Trump slaps tariffs on India
On July 30, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing its ongoing defence and energy transactions with Russia. Trump has also threatened to raise tariffs to 100% on imports from any country that continues buying Russian oil, unless Moscow agrees to a significant peace deal.
A day after announcing tariffs on imports from India, 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.
"I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India; their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way," he said in a post on Truth Social.
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