New York, 4 Aug

India portrays itself as being one of America’s closest friends in the world, but imposes massive tariffs, engages in “cheating” on immigration policies, and its purchases of Russian oil are financing the Ukraine war, a top aide to President Donald Trump has alleged.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, in an interview to Fox News Sunday, said that Trump has said very clearly that “it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia.

“People be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil," Miller said.

That's an astonishing fact, he said,

"India portrays itself as being one of our closest friends in the world, but they don't accept our products, they impose massive tariffs on us, we also know they engage in a lot of cheating on immigration policies, which is very harmful to American workers. And of course, we see again, the purchasing of oil,” from Russia, Miller said.

He added that while Trump wants a tremendous relationship and has always had a tremendous relationship with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the US needs to get real about dealing with the financing of this (Ukraine) 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 and end the war that the Democrat Party and Joe Biden are responsible for," he said.

Last week, Trump said that the US has a massive trade deficit with India.

He said that while “India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any country."

“Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine — All things not good!” Trump had said.

He said that India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25 per cent, plus a penalty for the above, starting on 1 August.

Trump had also mounted a sharp attack on India and Russia for their close ties and said that the two countries can take their "dead economies down together".

In the backdrop of Trump's "dead economy" barb at India, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told Parliament on Thursday that India is the world's fastest-growing major economy and widely expected to be the "third largest economy" in a few years.

Goyal also said India will take all necessary steps to safeguard and promote national interest and that the implications of the US tariffs are being examined.