The dramatic increase in India’s purchases of Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine is “opportunistic and deeply corrosive” of a global effort to isolate the Kremlin and curb Vladimir Putin’s war machine,

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has sharply criticised India’s growing energy and defence ties with Russia, accusing New Delhi of “cozying up to both Russia and China” and saying that Washington would “hit India where it hurts” unless it changes course.

As India continues to buy Russian oil, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro claimed that New Delhi’s purchases were funding Moscow's war in Ukraine. He termed the India trade relation with Russia as ‘opportunistic’ while stating that the country was using dollars earned from trade with America to buy oil from Russia.