India declines comment on Trump’s remarks, slams Navarro on ‘Brahmin profiteering’

New Delhi: India on Friday chose not to respond to US President Donald Trump’s recent social media comments suggesting that New Delhi is moving closer to Beijing, while firmly rejecting accusations by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro regarding India’s procurement of Russian crude oil.

“Looks like we have lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!,” Trump had posted online, days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping met, attracting global attention.

At a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal declined to comment on the US president’s statement. “I have no comments to offer on this post at this time,” he said.

However, Jaiswal addressed Navarro’s remarks directly, describing them as “inaccurate and misleading” and stating that India “obviously rejects” the characterization. Navarro had labeled India an “oil money laundromat for the Kremlin” and accused it of “strategic freeloading” for continuing to purchase Russian weapons while urging American defence companies to transfer sensitive technologies and establish manufacturing units in India.

Jaiswal underlined that India and the United States maintain ongoing dialogue on trade and strategic matters. “The relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. Both our countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in our shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties,” he said. He added that the partnership has endured multiple “transitions and challenges” over time.

The spokesperson also highlighted ongoing cooperation, including a joint military exercise between Indian and American troops in Alaska. On queries regarding the upcoming Quad summit, Jaiswal refrained from commenting on speculation, saying, “The Quad is a valuable forum for discussion on shared interests in a number of areas. The leaders’ summit is scheduled through diplomatic consultations among the four partners.”

India-US ties have recently experienced tension following Trump’s decision to double tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent levy on India’s import of Russian crude oil. The additional duties came into effect on August 27. India described the move as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” questioning why it alone faced punitive measures while China, the largest importer of Russian oil, remained unaffected.

India has defended its purchase of Russian oil as a matter of national interest and market conditions. Following Western sanctions on Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, New Delhi turned to discounted Russian crude. As a result, Russia’s share of India’s total oil imports rose from just 1.7 per cent in 2019-20 to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, making it the country’s largest oil supplier. Jaiswal reiterated that India remains focused on advancing a substantive agenda in its partnership with the United States, grounded in mutual respect and shared interests, while continuing to engage diplomatically across trade, defence, and multilateral forums.