India-US Partnership Stays Strong Despite Navarro’s Harsh Remarks

Navarro accused India of profiteering from Russian oil, sparking a diplomatic rebuttal from New Delhi, even as PM Modi and President Trump underlined the strength of India-US relations.

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Washington DC / New Delhi, September 7: A fresh controversy has erupted between Washington and New Delhi after Peter Navarro, Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing to U.S. President Donald Trump, lashed out on social media accusing India of profiteering from Russian oil.

On Saturday (local time), Navarro had an outburst on X (formerly Twitter) after being fact-checked with a community note on his claims. Furious at being corrected, he dismissed the note as “crap” and accused Elon Musk of allowing “propaganda” on the platform.

“Wow. @elonmusk is letting propaganda into people’s posts. That crap note below is just that. Crap. India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop taking American jobs,” Navarro wrote.

This tirade followed an earlier post on Friday, where he claimed that India’s tariffs were costing American jobs and alleged that New Delhi was deliberately funding Russia’s war effort. Citing a Washington Post article that pointed to growing rifts in the Trump administration’s approach towards India, Navarro dismissed the reporting as “fake news” and reiterated his stance.

“FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth/spins @washpo Leftist American fake news,” Navarro posted.

However, India swiftly rejected these accusations. At a weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called Navarro’s statements “inaccurate and misleading” and clarified that New Delhi’s energy policies are shaped by national interest, not propaganda. “We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously, we reject them,” Jaiswal stated firmly.

Interestingly, Navarro’s harsh words contrast sharply with President Trump’s own tone towards India. Just hours before the controversy, Trump had praised India-US ties, calling the relationship “very special” and reaffirming his personal friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “There is nothing to worry about. India and the U.S. will always be strong friends,” Trump said at a White House press interaction.

Prime Minister Modi reciprocated warmly, noting the “forward-looking” nature of India-US relations. Taking to X, he wrote, “Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.”

The incident highlights a recurring pattern in U.S. politics—wherein strong institutional ties between India and the U.S. are often tested by fiery rhetoric from certain officials. Yet, both Modi and Trump appear determined to ensure that the larger strategic partnership remains unaffected by individual outbursts.