White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has criticised India’s trade policies, saying that the United States does not need ‘unfair trade’ with New Delhi. In a series of posts on X, Navarro claimed that India is “desperately” seeking access to the US markets.
Navarro referred to India as the ‘maharaja of tariffs,’ continuing his longstanding criticism of New Delhi over its trade imbalance with Washington. He also criticised India’s ongoing imports of Russian crude oil, alleging that New Delhi is fueling Russia’s war machinery.
“India fuels Russia’s war chest. India is protectionist, with sky-high tariffs. The US runs a massive trade deficit with India,” he said. “But India desperately needs access to US markets and schools and intends to continue taking US jobs,” he added.
Navarro’s remarks came on the same day US President Donald Trump announced that India and the US are continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers. Trump, in a post on social media, said he was looking forward to speaking to Prime Minister Narendra in the upcoming weeks. “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Trump’s call and said that he looks forward to speaking with the US President. “India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people,” Modi said in a post on X.
Despite Navarro’s critical remarks, experts said his comments are unlikely to affect the progress of trade talks between the two nations.
The relations between New Delhi and Washington witnessed a major downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. India described the US action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.