A top White House advisor, Peter Navarro, faced a public fact-check this weekend after his critical post about India’s oil purchases from Russia was flagged by users on X (formerly Twitter).
Navarro had claimed that India was buying Russian oil “purely to profit” and that the revenues were feeding Russia’s war machine. However, a community note attached to his post quickly challenged his statement. The note clarified that India’s oil trade is for its own “energy security, not just profit” and pointed out that it does not violate any international sanctions. The note also added that while India has some tariffs, the U.S. actually runs a trade surplus with India in services and continues to import certain commodities from Russia itself.
Instead of acknowledging the correction, Navarro dismissed it as “crap” and lashed out at X owner Elon Musk for “letting propaganda into people’s posts.” He repeated his accusation, writing, “India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer… Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop taking American jobs.”
This outburst is the latest in a series of critical remarks from Navarro targeting India. Earlier, he had questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s engagements with Russian and Chinese leaders, declaring that “India needs to be with us, not Russia.” His previous comments, which included a reference to “Brahmins profiting,” were widely condemned as casteist and sinister by analysts and sparked outrage in India.
In response to Navarro’s ongoing criticism, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has firmly rejected his statements. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the remarks “inaccurate and misleading.” He reaffirmed that the India-US relationship is a “very important” and “comprehensive global strategic partnership” built on shared democratic values and people-to-people ties.
The controversy comes amidst a complex diplomatic moment. While Navarro and some Trump administration supporters have intensified their rhetoric against India, former President Donald Trump himself recently struck a more friendly tone. At a press conference, he called PM Modi a “great Prime Minister” and said he would “always be friends” with him, despite having “moments” of disagreement.
PM Modi quickly reciprocated on social media, saying he “deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates” Trump’s positive assessment of their ties.
Analysts have been critical of Navarro’s approach. Edward Price, a former British diplomat, called his attempts to “instruct” a sovereign nation like India a “shame” and “historically illiterate.” Price emphasized that “India has always gone its own way” and that the U.S. should focus on making “a fair and friendly offer” rather than issuing demands.
