Peter Navarro, a senior economic adviser to President Donald Trump, accused India of bankrolling Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, repeatedly calling the conflict “Modi’s war” during a U.S. television interview aired on Aug. 28. Navarro said “everybody in America loses” because New Delhi’s trade policies and energy purchases are, in his view, prolonging the fighting. He argued that India’s “high tariffs” were costing U.S. workers jobs and claimed American taxpayers were effectively funding the war because Indian demand for discounted Russian crude was keeping Moscow’s revenue streams intact. “The road to peace runs right through New Delhi,” Navarro said, urging the world’s largest democracy to “act like one.” Navarro’s remarks startled commentators and risk intensifying friction between Washington and New Delhi, which has sought to maintain relations with both Russia and the United States since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Indian officials had no immediate response, but past criticism of its oil purchases has drawn sharp rebuttals from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The Trump administration has previously pressed allies to curtail energy ties with Russia, while also complaining about India’s tariff regime. Navarro’s decision to link those issues directly to the war adds a volatile dimension to U.S.-India relations as the two countries negotiate trade disputes and deepen security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.