The US Donald Trump administration and his advisor, Peter Navarro, threatened India for buying crude oil from Russia and normalising relations with China.

US President Donald Trump's administration is constantly making harsh statements against India. Recently, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro directly warned India that if India wants to remain a strategic partner of America, then it will have to behave in the same way. This statement has come at a time when India is continuing to import oil from Russia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to visit China soon.

Navarro's statement has further fuelled the growing tension between the two countries. The US alleges that India's purchase of oil from Russia is providing Moscow financial support to continue the Ukraine war.

US displeasure over buying oil from Russia

Peter Navarro made serious allegations against India in an article written in the Financial Times. He said that India is working like a global clearing house and processes Russia's banned oil and converts it into expensive exports to provide dollars to Moscow.

The Trump administration believes that this move of India is against American strategic interests

. This is why Donald Trump has imposed an additional tariff of 25% on India for buying oil from Russia. After this, the total American tariff on India has increased to 50%, but in the meantime, during the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, it was revealed that America itself has done 20% more trade with Russia. Regarding this double standard, the Indian Foreign Ministry has already said that India is being unfairly targeted.

US objection to relations with China

Not only Russia, America also has a problem with India-China closeness. Prime Minister Modi is going to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of this month. Apart from this, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also on a visit to India to discuss the border dispute. Navarro alleges that if India strengthens relations with both Russia and China, then it may be risky for America to hand over modern weapons to India. It is clear from this statement that the Trump administration does not like India's strategic independence.

Crisis on trade deal

The ongoing trade deal talks between the US and India have also fallen prey to this dispute. The US trade team, which was to visit India from 25 to 29 August, has currently postponed its visit. This indicates that not only will the tension between the two countries deepen, but the trade deal may also fall apart. The additional tariffs imposed on India are coming into effect from 27 August and now there is very little chance of getting relief.