- Peter Navarro said Trump and Modi have a very good working relationship
- Navarro declined to comment on the Lindsey Graham bill's trade impact
- The bill proposes a potential 100% tariff on buyers of Russian oil
US presidential counsellor Peter Navarro has said that US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a “very good working relationship” and will resolve differences over trade between the two countries themselves.
Navarro was responding to an ANI question on the Lindsey Graham bill, which has been supported by Trump and proposes a potential 100% tariff on Russian oil buyers.
The bill and its possible impact on the ongoing India-US trade negotiations have added another layer of uncertainty to the discussions between the two countries.
“With respect to your question, the President and your Prime Minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves, and it's not for me to get between that,” Navarro said.
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Navarro also mentioned India's oil trade deal with Russia during the Ukraine war, saying that the issue had now been resolved.
He then recalled writing an op-ed in the Financial Times around six to eight months ago, in which he argued that India had not been involved in the Russian oil trade before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine but became heavily involved afterwards.
According to Navarro, India was also selling a significant amount of refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped “feed the war machine. And that issue has been resolved,” Navarro said.
Navarro also noted that his words had triggered a strong reaction online from Indians. “Maybe I had a little bit to do with that with that op-ed, but I can tell you, I got actually firebombed by the Indian continent on the internet,” he said.
He then cautioned against such online reactions, saying, “All I would say to you, don't do that. That's not how we resolve problems here in America.”
Navarro's comments come as India and the US continue are working on their trade negotiations, with tariff-related issues remaining a key point of discussion.
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