Navarro says India 'desperately' seeks US markets, repeats criticism on Russian oil

White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro has said that the United States does not need "unfair trade" with India, but New Delhi is "desperately" looking for access to American markets. His remarks came on the same day US President Donald Trump said negotiations between the two countries were continuing to resolve trade differences. Trump, in a post on social media, said he expected no difficulty in reaching an agreement. "I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!" he wrote, adding that he was looking forward to speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks. Navarro, however, used a series of posts on 'X' to criticise India. "The US doesn't need unfair trade with India. But India desperately needs access to US markets and schools and intends to continue taking U.S. jobs," he said. He also accused India of fuelling Russia's war machinery through crude oil purchases. "India fuels Russia's war chest. India is protectionist, with sky-high tariffs. The US runs a massive trade deficit with India," Navarro wrote. The trade advisor further claimed that Indian tariffs were impacting American employment. "India's sky-high tariffs are costing the US its jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit. Those revenues fuel Putin's war machine," he alleged. Ties between New Delhi and Washington have faced strain after the Trump administration doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent. The move also included 25 per cent additional duties linked to India's purchase of Russian crude oil. India described the US action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable."