Navarro's statements are 'inaccurate and misleading': MEA rejects Trump aide's comments

Ministry of External Affairs termed White House trade adviser Peter Navarro's recent statements on India as 'inaccurate and misleading' as Trump's aide has been making negative statements on the country.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said, "We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr. Navarro, and obviously reject them."

On India-US relations, he said, "...there is a comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries, and we want to work on this partnership and take it forward."

Terming India-US relations are 'very important', he said that both the countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in their shared interests, democratic values, and robust people-to-people ties.

"This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. 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," he added.

In a recent series of comments, Navarro has defended the Trump administration’s tariffs on India. In a Fox News interview, Navarro said, "India is nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin," claiming that Indian refiners buy discounted Russian crude, process it and sell the finished products at a premium abroad.

Also read: India dismisses reports on Xi Jinping's secret letter to Prez Murmu, calls it 'incorrect'

“What happened? Well, the Russian refiners went in and got into bed with big oil India. Putin gives (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi a discount on the crude. They refine it and they ship it to Europe, Africa and Asia at a big premium and they make a ton of money,” Navarro said.

He also said that 'Brahmins are profiteering' at the expense of Indians in a bid to justify President Trump’s 50% tariff on Indian goods.

US President Donald Trump on Friday took to Truth Social to share his opinion on India-Russia-China ties. "We've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China," he wrote.

Navarro also called India 'Maharaja of tariffs' saying, "They export us a bunch of stuff and won’t let us sell to them." In a Fox News interview, he also acknowledged Modi as “a great leader” yet asked, “I don't understand why he is getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when he's the biggest democracy in the world."

Answering a question Quad Summit and India-US relations, Jaiswal said, "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," he added.