"Tremendous Ties With PM Modi But...": Trump's Top Aide On India Buying Russia Oil

A senior official of US President Donald Trump's administration accused India of imposing "massive" tariffs on American goods and "cheating" the US immigration system, in addition to purchasing the Russian oil that's "financing" Russia's war in Ukraine. The remarks came amid the United States' escalating pressure on New Delhi to stop trading with Moscow.

"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," 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."

Miller's comments are some of the strongest yet by the Trump administration about one of the United States' major partners in the Indo-Pacific.

He claimed that Trump "wants a tremendous relationship and has had always a tremendous relationship with India" and 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's Stand

Indian government sources on Saturday said that New Delhi would keep purchasing Russian oil despite US threats. The Indian government has also not given any instructions to its oil refiners to stop buying Russian oil. Both state-run and private refiners are allowed to buy from preferred sources, and crude purchases remain a commercial decision, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Modi has also struck a defiant tone in the face of Trump's tariff threats and underscored the importance of shielding India's economic interests during uncertain global conditions.

"The world economy is going through many apprehensions - there is an atmosphere of instability," PM Modi said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. "Now, whatever we buy, there should be only one scale: we will buy those things which have been made by the sweat of an Indian."

Trump's Pressure Tactics

The comments came just days after the Trump administration imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports to the US. The White House is also threatening more action if India continues Russian oil purchases.

India has become one of Trump's top targets as he looks to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine. The US President lashed out at India last week, criticising it for joining the BRICS grouping of developing countries and maintaining close ties with Russia, saying, "They can take their dead economies down together."

The rebuke marked a stunning shift in tone for the US, which for years had overlooked India's close historical ties with Russia as it courted the nation as a counterweight in Asia to China. Now, Trump appears willing to undo that strategy to gain leverage against Putin, who has resisted the US president's efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine.