‘India equals China in Russian oil trade, both funding Ukraine war’: Trump aide Miller

Washington DC: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has said it is "not acceptable" for India to continue purchasing oil from Russia, claiming it helps finance the war in Ukraine.

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday (local time), Miller alleged, “It is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia. People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact.”

Notes Trump’s rapport with Modi but urges action

Miller underlined that US President Donald Trump shares a “tremendous” relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, he said that concrete steps were needed to tackle the conflict in Ukraine.

“So President Trump has had always had a tremendous relationship with India and the Prime Minister. But we have to get real about dealing with the financing of this war. So President Trump, all options are on the table to deal diplomatically, financially, and otherwise with the ongoing war in Ukraine, so we can achieve peace in the war that the democratic party and Joe Biden are responsible for,” Miller added.

Raises concerns on trade and immigration

The Trump aide also criticised India’s trade and immigration practices, alleging they hurt American interests.

“India doesn't accept our products, they impose massive tariffs on us. We also know they engage in a lot of cheating on immigration policies. It is very harmful to American workers and of course we see again the purchasing of oil,” he said.

India defends its energy policy

On August 1, Trump stated that India might stop buying Russian oil, calling it “a good step” if confirmed. However, India has defended its sovereign right to frame an independent energy policy.

Contrary to media reports on July 31 claiming that Indian state-run refiners had suspended Russian oil purchases due to tariff threats from Trump and reduced price discounts, Indian officials clarified that purchases continue based on commercial logic.

Russian oil is not under sanctions from the US or EU. Instead, it is subject to a G7/EU price-cap mechanism aimed at limiting Moscow’s revenues while keeping global supplies stable. Indian refiners’ purchases remain compliant with international norms.

With ANI inputs