Trump Adviser: Puzzled! With such duties, India is not abandoning Russia's oil

India received the highest US duties among other countries and does not refuse to buy Russian oil. This was stated to Bloomberg television channel by Donald Trump's senior trade adviser Peter Navarro.

India can easily reduce US duties by half to 25 percent if it stops buying Russian oil, Peter Navarro said.

"And I'm puzzled… They boldly look us in the eye and say that they do not have the highest duties, although it is so. They also say that they are not going to stop buying Russian oil," said the adviser to the US president. According to him, the arguments of the Indian side are that they are sovereign and that they can buy oil from whomever they want.

India receives Russian oil at a discount and sells the resulting oil products to the West at a premium, Trump's adviser said.

Navarro believes that because of the current situation, including duties, everyone in the United States is losing.

"But the road to peace lies partly through Delhi,— said Peter Navarro. — If India and China stop buying Russian oil. And Europe, by the way, too. She's buying, it's crazy. Then peace will become a matter of time."

As EADaily reported, additional 25 percent US duties on Indian goods came into force on August 27. Washington claimed that they were introduced for the purchase of Russian oil, whose share in India's imports reached 40%.

As a result, the total US duties for India have increased to 50%.

At the same time, Delhi associates the introduction of duties more with India's refusal to give full access to American companies to the largest market of agricultural and dairy products.

"The interests of farmers, pastoralists and small businesses are of paramount importance. The pressure may increase, but we will withstand it," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar complained that trade negotiations are continuing and the close attention of the United States to the import of Russian oil to India does not apply equally to any China, nor the EU. At the same time, Reuters reported that Indian companies will continue to buy Russian oil for economic reasons, despite the duties.

"There is still no government directive on oil purchases from Russia," said Subramaniam Jaishankar. He added that India will continue to make strategic energy choices, rejecting claims that the duties are solely an "oil dispute."

Additional duties will increase the total US tariffs for India to 50% and annual exports of $60 billion will fall under them. The country expects that Indian goods can be replaced in the United States by products from neighboring countries for which duties are lower. Therefore, they are exploring new markets. In addition, the Indian government plans to reduce some of the taxes in the country itself.