A senior aide to U.S. President Donald Trump has accused India of financially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to buy Russian oil, sharply criticizing New Delhi amid rising tensions between the two strategic partners.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s White House deputy chief of staff, said in an interview with Fox News that India’s energy imports from Moscow were “not acceptable,” and directly implicated them in prolonging the war, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
“What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia,” Miller said.
The remarks come just days after the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods in response to India’s ongoing military and energy ties with Russia. Additional penalties have been threatened if India does not scale back its purchases.
India is currently the second-largest buyer of Russian oil, after China, accounting for over 30% of its fuel imports. This is a dramatic rise from pre-war levels in 2022, when only about 1% of India’s oil came from Russia.
Miller emphasized that the volume of Russian oil India now buys is “basically tied with China,” calling it “an astonishing fact.” His comments represent one of the strongest public rebukes from Washington toward New Delhi since Trump returned to the White House.
Despite the criticism, Miller also described Trump’s personal relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “tremendous.” Last week, Trump called India “our friend” even as he announced new tariffs and publicly blasted its BRICS membership and ties to Moscow.
“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump posted on Truth Social on July 30.
Trump has previously threatened 100% tariffs on U.S. imports from countries that continue oil trade with Russia, unless Moscow agrees to a major peace deal in Ukraine.
Analysts are divided on the Trump administration’s approach. Some believe the hardline stance is meant to squeeze Russia economically, while others see it as a negotiating tactic aimed at forcing India to make trade concessions. Washington is currently pushing to reduce its $45 billion trade deficit with India.
