Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday rejected statements made by White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro and termed them “inaccurate and misleading”. Earlier, Navarro justified US President Donald Trump’s decision to levy a 50 percent tariff on imports from India and made a caste-based remark on the issue and accusing the Brahmins of the country of “profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.”
On the statement made by Peter Navarro, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a media briefing also said that the relationship between the United States and India is very important and added that both countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership.
“We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr. Navarro and obviously we reject them. We have also spoken about it earlier. This relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. Both our countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in our shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties. This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges,” he said.
“We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to, and we hope that the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests,” Jaiswal added.
#WATCH | Delhi: On the statement made by Peter Navarro (Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing to the US President), MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, “We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr. Navarro and obviously we reject them. We have also… pic.twitter.com/jadH6LjC5G
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2025
In addition, while answering a question raised by the media, the MEA Spokesperson said that India sees the Quad as a valuable forum for discussion among the four member countries on shared interests on several issues.
“We continue to remain engaged with the US side on trade issues… We see the Quad as a valuable forum for discussion among the four member countries on shared interests on several issues. The leaders’ summit is scheduled through diplomatic consultations among the member countries… As far as the Ukraine conflict is concerned, we welcome all the recent efforts towards establishing peace in Ukraine. We hope that all parties will proceed constructively. India supports an early end to the conflict and the establishment of enduring peace,” he said.
Trump On India-China Ties
Earlier on Friday, the U.S. President, in a post on Truth Social, stated that India and Russia appear to have been lost to ‘deepest, darkest’ China.
In the post, Trump said, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
Also Check: Trump’s Tariff Gamble Faces New Triad Test: Can India, China, Russia Make The Dust Settle?
‘Brahmins Profiteering…’: Navarro
According to ANI, referring to India as “nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin”, Navarro, during an interview with Fox News on Monday, accused New Delhi of enabling trade imbalances and geopolitical alliances that run counter to US interests.
He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy approach while calling him a “great leader”, suggesting that India’s engagement with Russia and China undermines its status as the world’s largest democracy.
“And on top of that, by the way, 25 percent or 50 percent is because India is the Maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. They won’t let us sell to them, so who gets hurt, workers in America, taxpayers in America… Ukrainians in cities are getting killed by Russian drones,” the White House Trade Adviser said.
‘India Needs Us, Not Russia’: Navarro
Navarro also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
As per ANI, speaking with reporters, Navarro lambasted PM Modi for what he termed as “getting in bed with the authoritarian,” describing the meeting as shameful.
He also pressed that India needs the US, Europe, and Ukraine, and not Russia, urging New Delhi to stop purchasing discounted crude oil from Moscow.
(with ANI inputs)