Diplomatic tensions flared over the weekend after a senior aide to former U.S. President Donald Trump accused India of indirectly financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to import Russian oil. The comments, made by Stephen Miller, a top Trump advisor and former deputy chief of staff, come amid renewed efforts by the Trump camp to exert pressure on New Delhi over its energy ties with Moscow.
Speaking on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures", Miller said Trump believes India's continued oil trade with Russia is “unacceptable” and contributes to prolonging the conflict in Ukraine. “What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia. People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact,” Miller stated.
Despite the critical tone, Miller added that Trump values his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He wants a tremendous relationship with India and has always had one, but we need to get serious about stopping the financing of this war,” he said, warning that “all options are on the table” — including financial and diplomatic measures.
This follows Trump’s remarks on Friday, in which he floated the possibility that India “might stop” buying Russian oil soon — a development he termed “a good step” if confirmed. However, Indian sources have reiterated that India will continue importing Russian oil to meet its domestic energy demands, asserting that national interest drives its energy policy, not external pressure.
A senior official speaking to ANI under condition of anonymity said, “Russia is the world’s second-largest oil exporter. The oil market is global and cannot function without Russian supply. India will procure oil wherever it is available at favorable terms.”
Russia currently produces around 9.5 million barrels per day (mb/d), accounting for roughly 10% of global demand, and exports nearly 7 mb/d of crude and refined products combined. India, facing growing energy demands, has increasingly relied on discounted Russian oil, especially after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow following the Ukraine invasion.
In a dramatic escalation, Trump on July 30 slapped a 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing its continued defense and energy engagements with Russia. He also threatened to raise tariffs to 100% on imports from any country that sustains oil trade with Russia without pressuring Moscow to end the war.
Trump's tone became even more confrontational a day later, when he posted a sharply worded message on Truth Social, dismissing both Russia and India as “dead economies”. “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We’ve done very little business with India anyway — their tariffs are among the highest in the world. As for Russia, we do almost no trade with them. Let’s keep it that way,” the former president wrote.
