Navarro warns India over trade talks, Russian oil imports “It won’t end well for Delhi”

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – White House trade advisor Peter Navarro on Tuesday warned India, stated that it “must come around” at some point on trade negotiations with the U.S., or else it “won’t end well” for Delhi.

“I think India must come around at some point,” he continued. “And if it doesn’t, it’s effectively siding with Russia and China—and that won’t end well for India.”

He also shared on his official X account, Navarro criticized India’s trade policies, describing the country as the “Maharajah of tariffs” and alleging that New Delhi imposes the highest tariffs among all major U.S. trading partners in an interview with Real America’s Voice.

“But it’s absolutely true. They have the highest tariffs in any major country in the world against the United States. We’ve got to deal with that,” Navarro said.

He suggested that the current trade imbalance is unsustainable.

Navarro a Sr. Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing, labeled India a “money-laundering hub for Kremlin oil” and reiterated the need for stronger action against nations continuing energy trade with Russia. Taking aim at India’s increasing imports of Russian oil following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Navarro said that prior to the war, India “never bought oil from Russia, except for like little tiny drops of it.”

He claimed “And then they go into this mode of profiteering with Russian refiners coming on to Indian soil and profiteering,” and American taxpayers end up having to send more money for the conflict.”

He described trade agreements with countries such as the EU, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia as “great,” and praised these nations for aligning more closely with the U.S., acknowledged past trade imbalances and their dependence on access to American markets.

On China, which is the largest buyer of Russian oil, he admitted that there is a complexity in balancing sanctions and diplomacy.

“We’re walking a fine line here,” Navarro said. “India’s got to stop buying Russian oil. That’s essential for peace. The road to peace partly runs through New Delhi.”

He added, “Europe has to stop buying Russian oil too with China, we’ve got over 50% tariffs already. We’re negotiating to protect the American people without hurting them and that’s the art of diplomacy. You just have to trust in Trump.”

Navarro launched a scathing attack on the BRICS alliance, called member countries “vampires” exploiting the United States through unfair trade practices.

He also questioned the alliance’s cohesion, citing multiple fault lines within it, particularly between Russia and China, and India and China.

Navarro argued that the BRICS economies are overly reliant on exports to the United States, and that their trade practices are damaging American economic interests.

“The bottom line is that none of these countries can survive if they don’t sell to the United States. And when they do, their exports are like vampires sucking our blood dry with their unfair trade practices,” Navarro said.

He questioned the long-term viability of the BRICS alliance, pointed to historical and geopolitical tensions between several member states.

“Let’s see what happens. But I don’t see how BRICS stays together, since historically, they all hate each other and kill each other,” he added.

“I don’t see how the BRICS alliance stays together—they’ve historically hated each other and even gone to war,” he said.

“They can’t survive without selling to the United States. And when they do, they bleed us dry through unfair trade,” he added.

Navarro turned his attention to India’s geopolitical tensions with China.

“India’s been at war with China for decades. And let’s not forget—it was China that gave Pakistan the nuclear bomb,” he said, referencing rising tensions in the Indian Ocean.

Navarro said, “You’ve got ships flying around the Indian Ocean with Chinese flags. Modi, see how you kind of work that out.”

He asserted that Russia is “in bed with China,” warning that India aligning with both powers could have strategic costs.

“Russia is getting into bed with China. But China claims it owns Vladivostok, and through massive illegal immigration, it’s colonizing Siberia—Russia’s largest territory. Good luck with that, Putin,” Navarro added.