Imposition of additional trade tariffs on India an issue of ‘national security’, says White House trade adviser

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro
| Photo Credit:
BONNIE CASH

Imposition of additional 25 per cent ad valorem duty is a national security issue associated with India’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil, said White House trade adviser Peter Navarro. He was speaking to reporters at the White House earlier this week .

“It was a pure national security issue associated with India’s abject refusal to stop buying Russian oil,” he said, adding that “every American needs to understand the math of this because it is related to the trade situation”.

Apart from 25 per cent tariffs announced recently, an additional 25 per cent penalty has been imposed on India for purchasing Russian oil, thereby taking total tariffs to 50 per cent.

Tariffs imposed on India are currently the highest.

“….that math does not work. The President [Donald Trump] understands the math between economic security and national security,” he said.

Navarro is among the strongest defenders of Trump’s protectionist measures.

“We send a lot of dollars overseas to India to buy their products in an unfair trade environment. India then uses American dollars to buy Russian oil. Russia then uses those American dollars, that come from India, to finance its armaments, to kill Ukranians. And then, American tax-payers are called upon to pay for the weapons to pay for the weapons that defend Ukraine against Russian armaments, paid for by American dollars that came from India. That has got to stop. That math does not work,” he said.

‘Maharaja of tariffs’

He called India the ‘maharaja of tariffs’, and pointed out that it has the highest tariffs in the world “on Amercian products”. It also has high non-tariff barriers, and so the US is unable to “get their products in”. He further added that this was an “unfair trade environment”.

To a question as to why China was not hit with similar penalties, Navarro said: “As the boss says, lets see what happens. Keep in mind that we have over 50 per cent tariffs on China already. So, we don’t to get a point where we actually hurt ourselves.”

Published on August 8, 2025