Trump Aide Slams India Over Russian Oil Purchases, Dismisses SCO Meet as ‘Performative’

Trump Aide Slams India Over Russian Oil Trade, Calls SCO Summit ‘Performative’

Hours after US President Donald Trump claimed India had offered to cut tariffs to zero, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent voiced optimism that Washington and New Delhi could resolve their differences. But he also lashed out at India’s continued imports of Russian crude, saying the practice was helping to fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

In an interview with Fox News, Bessent played down concerns over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“This is a longstanding meeting called the SCO, and I think it’s largely performative,” Bessent said. “At the end of the day, India is the world’s most populous democracy. Their values are much closer to ours than to Russia’s.”

However, he was blunt in his criticism of India’s oil trade. “India is not being a great actor when it comes to buying Russian crude and then reselling refined products. That money is fuelling Russia’s war machine,” he said. “China is doing the same. At some point, we and our allies will need to step up.”

Despite the rebuke, Bessent stressed that the US and India shared a strong foundation and could navigate disagreements. “Two great democracies will get this solved,” he added.

Tariffs and Trade Strains
Bessent linked slow progress in trade talks to Washington’s decision to impose fresh tariffs on Indian goods. The US has already levied a 25 per cent duty, followed by another 25 per cent after India ignored calls to scale back oil purchases from Russia — taking the total tariff to 50 per cent.

Trump, meanwhile, called trade ties with India a “one-sided disaster,” accusing New Delhi of blocking US exports through steep tariffs. “They sell us massive amounts of goods while we sell them very little. This has gone on for decades. It’s been a completely one-sided relationship — until now,” he posted.

On sanctions against Russia, Bessent said “all options are on the table” as Moscow escalates its assault on Ukraine, despite recent peace discussions.