U.S. White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro recently asserted in a CNBC interview that India is stepping up to the negotiating table for trade discussions.
Navarro highlighted this development, noting, “India is coming to the table.” He pointed to a ‘very conciliatory, nice, constructive tweet’ from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to which President Trump had positively responded. Navarro added, ‘We’ll see how this works,’ indicating the early stages of these diplomatic efforts.
During the interview, Navarro emphasized that both nations are actively engaged in negotiations to address and dismantle existing ‘trade barriers’.
He elaborated on the challenges, stating, “As a practical matter, we know that on the trade side, they have the highest tariffs of any major country. They have very high non-tariff barriers.” He stressed that addressing these issues is a priority, mirroring U.S. approaches with other nations facing similar trade imbalances.
Navarro also brought attention to a contentious point: India’s continued purchase of Russian oil post-2022.
He voiced strong disapproval, claiming, “India buying Russian oil, which it never did… It never did that before 2022.” Navarro asserted that ‘Indian refiners got in bed with the Russian refiners immediately after the invasion, and they’re making out like bandits.’ He continued, expressing frustration, ‘it’s like it’s crazy stuff because they make money off of us in unfair trade. Okay, so American workers get screwed, right?’
Furthermore, Navarro openly criticized India for fostering closer ties with both Russia and China.
He linked India’s actions to global implications, saying, ‘Then they use that money to buy Russian oil, and then the Russians use that to buy weapons. And then we, as taxpayers, have to pay more for this, for the defence of Ukraine.’ He questioned the optics of Prime Minister Modi appearing alongside leaders from China—a ‘long-term existential threat’ to India—and Russia’s Putin, suggesting, ‘I don’t think he felt comfortable doing it.’
In related news, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, Brendan Lynch, is expected to arrive in India on Tuesday (September 16, 2025) to advance discussions on a Bilateral Trade Agreement with Indian officials. These crucial U.S.-India trade talks are officially scheduled for the same day, according to a government source.
Leading India’s negotiation team will be Rajesh Agrawal, the chief negotiator and Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce.