Peter Navarro, senior trade adviser to US President Donald Trump, has once again criticized India during ongoing trade tensions, warning that things “will not end well” for New Delhi if it fails to adjust its position in negotiations with Washington. Speaking on Real America’s Voice, Navarro repeated his description of India as the “Maharaja of tariffs,” insisting that no other major economy imposes duties on American goods as steep as India does.
He further accused the BRICS grouping of exploiting the global economy, calling its members “vampires” whose unfair trade practices drain US financial resources.
Navarro also claimed that India had little to no history of importing Russian oil before the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, after Moscow’s invasion in 2022, Indian refiners increased purchases of discounted Russian crude, profiting while American taxpayers were forced to bear higher costs linked to the war. He alleged that this shift was opportunistic, contrasting it with India’s earlier reliance on oil supplies from the Middle East.
In reality, Washington acknowledges that India’s increased crude imports from Russia became possible after the G7 and G20 nations imposed a 60-dollar-per-barrel cap on Russian oil. The mechanism was designed to restrict Moscow’s earnings while ensuring global supplies remained stable. India was able to take advantage of discounted shipments under this arrangement.
Highlighting America’s wider trade achievements, Navarro pointed to recent agreements with the European Union, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia. He said these countries had come to terms with the need to cooperate more closely with Washington, both because of their reliance on the US market and a recognition that they had long benefitted disproportionately from trade ties with America.