India Rejects Trump Adviser Peter Navarro's "Inaccurate and Misleading" Claims About Russian Oil Imports

India has officially rejected statements made by Peter Navarro, senior trade advisor to US President Donald Trump, describing them as "inaccurate and misleading."

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal firmly stated, "We have seen inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr. Navarro. Obviously, we reject them."

The diplomatic tension has escalated since Trump returned to office, with Navarro launching multiple criticisms against India regarding its trade policies and foreign relations, straining US-India bilateral ties.

Navarro controversially characterized the Russia-Ukraine conflict as "Modi's war" shortly after Trump implemented 50 percent punitive tariffs on India. He alleged that New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil is financing Moscow's military operations.

The Trump advisor suggested India could see a 25 percent reduction in tariffs if it ceased buying discounted crude oil from Russia.

In further inflammatory remarks, Navarro accused India of operating a "profiteering scheme" through Russian oil imports and referred to India as the "Maharaj" of tariffs. He claimed India's oil purchases from Moscow have increased dramatically from virtually nothing before the Ukraine invasion to approximately 35 percent of its imports.

"They don't need the oil. It's a refining profit-sharing scheme. It's a laundromat for the Kremlin. That's the reality of that," Navarro asserted.

His statements took a controversial turn when he made remarks about India's caste system, claiming "Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people." Navarro alleged Indian refiners were purchasing discounted Russian crude, processing it, and exporting it at premium prices.

Navarro also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomatic engagements with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, describing it as "a shame."

"It is a shame to see [PM] Modi getting in bed with Xi Jinping and Putin. I'm not sure what he's thinking. We hope he comes around to seeing that he needs to be with us and not Russia," he remarked.

India has defended its position, describing the US actions as "unjustified" and maintaining that its Russian oil purchases are necessary to maintain affordable energy prices and stabilize its domestic market.