Washington: The American Jewish Committee has criticised the “chorus of attacks on India by U.S. officials”, including a White House advisor’s “scurrilous charge” that the Ukraine conflict is “Modi’s war”.
The American Jewish Committee, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, said in a post on X that India is not responsible for the Ukraine conflict, and called for a reset of “this vital relationship”.
“AJC is mystified, and deeply troubled, by the chorus of attacks on India by U.S. officials — the latest being a White House advisor’s scurrilous charge that Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine is “Modi’s war.”
“We regret energy-hungry India’s reliance on Russian oil — but India isn’t responsible for Putin’s war crimes, is a sister democracy and an increasingly important strategic partner of the United States, and has a crucial role to play in Great Power competition. It’s time to reset this vital relationship,” it said.
The comments come in the aftermath of US Trade Adviser Peter Navarro describing the Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war”, in a move to make New Delhi stop buying oil from Moscow.
Navarro’s comments came hours after US tariffs of 50% on Indian goods kicked in on Wednesday. The tariffs, among the highest in the world, include a 25% penalty for purchase of weapons and oil from Russia which, the US claims, is a key source of funds for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Russia, which supplied less than 2% of India’s crude before it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, now accounts for 35-40% of Delhi’s oil imports, making it the largest source, the BBC reported.
“Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. The consumers and businesses and everything lose, and workers lose because India’s high tariffs cost us jobs, factories and income and higher wages. And then the taxpayers lose because we got to fund Modi’s war,” he was quoted saying.
When asked if he actually meant “Putin’s war” instead, Mr Navarro said: “I mean Modi’s war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi.”
Navarro continued: “What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this. They say, ‘Oh, we don’t have higher tariffs. Oh, it’s our sovereignty. We can buy oil from anyone we want.’ India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, okay, act like one!”
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