Trump aide Navarro recalls backlash after Russian oil, tariff remarks
NEW DELHI: US senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro has said President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a “very good working relationship” and will resolve differences over the US tariff issue linked to India’s imports of Russian oil.Responding to an ANI question, Navarro recalled the backlash he faced in India after writing an op-ed on the India-Russia oil trade.“During the Ukraine-Russia war, 6-8 months ago, I think I wrote an op-ed, which absolutely factually correctly pointed out that prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved and was selling a lot of refined products on behalf of Russia, which helped feed the war machine,” Navarro said.“And that issue has been resolved. Maybe I had a little bit to do with that with that op-ed, but I can tell you, I got actually firebombed by the Indian continent on the internet. All I would say to you, don’t do that,” he added.Navarro, however, said the issue would ultimately be handled by Trump and Modi themselves.
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“That’s not how we resolve problems here in America. With respect to your question, the President and your Prime Minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves, and it’s not for me or any gaggle to get between that,” he said.His remarks come amid renewed concerns in India over possible US trade measures targeting countries that continue to purchase Russian energy.Earlier on August 7, the US Senate passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by an 86-11 vote. The bipartisan legislation would give the US president discretionary authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that are among the top five buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas.India and China remain among the largest buyers of Russian crude.
