Nikki Haley urges India to take Trump’s concerns on Russian oil imports seriously

Republican leader Nikki Haley has called on India to take seriously President Donald Trump’s objections to its imports of Russian crude oil and to work with Washington toward a resolution.

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised New Delhi for purchasing discounted oil from Moscow, even as Beijing, the largest buyer of Russian crude — has escaped similar scrutiny. India, for its part, has consistently defended its energy policy as being guided by market dynamics and national interest.

Haley, a former South Carolina governor of Indian origin, reiterated her position in a social media post on Saturday, citing an opinion piece she wrote in Newsweek earlier in the week. Her intervention came amid criticism from within her own party over that article.

In her column, Haley stressed that India should be regarded as a vital democratic ally, not treated as an adversary like China. Undermining decades of progress in bilateral ties, she warned, would be a “strategic disaster.”

She added on X, “India must take Trump’s point over Russian oil seriously, and work with the White House to find a solution. The sooner the better.”

India must take Trump’s point over Russian oil seriously, and work with the White House to find a solution. The sooner the better.

Decades of friendship and good will between the world’s two largest democracies provide a solid basis to move past the current turbulence.…

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 23, 2025

In the article, Haley argued that India must be treated like the ”prized free and democratic partner that it is—not an adversary like China.” ”Scuttling 25 years of momentum with the only country that can serve as a counterweight to Chinese dominance in Asia would be a strategic disaster,” she wrote.

In her post on Saturday, Haley said, ”India must take Trump’s point over Russian oil seriously, and work with the White House to find a solution. The sooner the better.” ”Decades of friendship and goodwill between the world’s two largest democracies provide a solid basis to move past the current turbulence,” she said.

”Navigating issues like trade disagreements and Russian oil imports demands hard dialogue. But, we should not lose sight of what matters most: our shared goals. To face China, the United States must have a friend in India.” A number of officials of the Trump administration have been critical of India for its energy ties with Russia.

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro on Wednesday accused India of running a ”profiteering scheme” by using discounted Russian crude oil and then selling refined petroleum products at premium prices in Europe and other places.

Washington has been arguing that India’s purchases of Russian crude oil are funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

India has strongly rejected the charges.

”It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

He was responding to a question on the US criticism of India on the crude oil issue during an event.

”That’s really curious. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. But Europe buys, America buys, so you don’t like it, don’t buy it,” he said.

The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent including a 25 per cent additional duties for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.

New Delhi turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

With inputs from agencies