Washington DC: US President Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, Peter Navarro, faced fact-checking on Elon Musk’s X after posting anti-India comments accusing India of profiteering by importing Russian oil.
X labelled Navarro’s claims “hypocritical” and clarified India’s purchases were legal and for energy security, not in violation of sanctions.
X Fact-Checks Navarro’s Anti-India Claims
Peter Navarro has repeatedly criticised India’s trade and foreign policies, especially targeting its continued imports of Russian oil. In a post on X, he accused India of buying Russian oil “purely to profit” and claimed the revenues supported Russia’s war machine. Navarro wrote, “FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine.”
However, X’s fact-checking notes corrected Navarro, saying India’s purchases are “for energy security” and “do not violate sanctions”. The platform highlighted that the United States itself continues to import Russian commodities such as uranium, exposing a “clear double standard.”
Another note emphasised, “India’s legal, sovereign purchases of Russian oil for energy security do not violate international law." Navarro reacted, slamming Elon Musk for permitting “propaganda in people’s posts” and calling the fact-check a “crap note.” He insisted India buys Russian oil solely to profiteer and accused the Indian government of spinning narratives. “Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop taking American jobs,” Navarro wrote on X.
Rising India-US Tensions
Navarro’s attacks intensified after the Trump administration imposed secondary tariffs exceeding 50 per cent on Indian exports for continuing Russian oil imports, marking the highest such tariff applied apart from Brazil. Navarro has previously labelled the Russia-Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war,” blaming India’s purchases for fuelling Moscow’s military aggression.
In recent weeks, relations between India and the United States have strained further. PM Narendra Modi, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in China, shared warm gestures with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the backdrop of US tariffs. Trump later claimed the US “lost India to China,” though he clarified he did not believe so, calling the bilateral relationship “very special” and affirming friendship with PM Modi.
PM Modi responded by saying he “fully reciprocates” Trump’s sentiments, hinting at possible resolution of the tensions, and reaffirmed the “positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership” between India and the United States.
