Trump, Modi will resolve Russia sanctions: U.S. official

U.S. Trade Adviser Peter Navarro announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the controversy surrounding potential U.S. tariffs on India's oil imports from Russia. The White House official made the statement following the U.S. Senate's approval of a bill authorizing the President to impose a 100% tariff on the nation's top five purchasers of Russian oil, claiming that such transactions contributed to the financing of the Ukraine war.

Navarro stated that India had not previously been involved in the oil trade with Russia prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, after the conflict started, India began selling a significant amount of refined products on behalf of Russia, which played a vital role in funding the Russian military machine. The U.S. official admitted that he had penned an op-ed in The Financial Times advocating for India to reduce its reliance on Russian oil, which he claimed contributed to the issue being resolved.

Navarro attributed the resolution of the matter to the strong working relationship between Trump and Modi, emphasizing that it was not his place to interfere in their discussions.