White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Wednesday told Bloomberg that Russia-Ukraine conflict was “Modi’s war”, repeating accusations that New Delhi is funding the Kremlin’s military campaign.

Navarro’s statement came on the day the 50% tariff rate on goods imported from India to the US took effect.

The Donald Trump administration had announced on August 6 that it would double the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% for purchasing Russian oil amid the Ukraine war. A 25% so-called reciprocal tariff had already taken effect.

Trump has repeatedly alleged that India’s imports were fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In an interview to the American news network, Navarro said that by purchasing Russian oil “at a discount”, India was helping Russia and harming the US, which in turn has to finance Ukrainian defence.

He added that he was describing it as “Modi’s war” because “the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi”.

The Trump aide claimed that “everybody in America” was losing because of India’s actions.

“Consumers, businesses, workers lose because India’s high tariffs cost us jobs and factories and income and higher wages,” he said. “And then the tax payers lose, because we’ve got to fund Modi’s war.”

Navarro also criticised New Delhi’s stance on its trade policy.

“What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this,” Navarro said. “They say, ‘Oh, we don’t have higher tariffs. Oh, it’s our sovereignty. We can buy oil from anyone we want’.”

“India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, Okay? Act like one,” he added.

New Delhi had previously said that it was “extremely unfortunate” that the US had chosen to impose additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.

“We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson had said on August 6. “India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”

On Wednesday, Navarro also urged India to side with democracies.

“India, you’re getting in bed with authoritarians,” he said. “China invaded Aksai Chin and all your territory. They are not your friends, folks. And the Russian? I mean, come on!”

China occupies the Aksai Chin area, which India claims is part of its Union Territory of Ladakh.

Border tensions between the two countries escalated in June 2020 when a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control. It led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers. Beijing said that the clash left four of its soldiers dead.

Both sides then deployed thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry along the Line of Actual Control.

Since the Galwan clashes, China and India have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve their border standoff.

On August 18, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi that talks between the world’s two largest countries would also cover global developments.

“We seek a fair, balanced and multipolar world order including a multipolar Asia,” he had said at the time. “In the current environment, there is clearly an imperative of maintaining and enhancing stability in the global economy as well.”