After Peter Navarro, US Nato envoy Matthew Whitaker has accused India of funding the Russian war on Ukraine.
After Peter Navarro, US Nato envoy Matthew Whitaker has blamed India for the Russian war on Ukraine.
In an interview on Fox News, Whitaker said that India was funding the Russian war on Ukraine.
“The money that’s paying for this war is coming from the sale of Russian oil to countries including India, China, and Brazil,” said Whitakar.
In his second term, US President Donald Trump and his top officials, such as White House trade advisor Navarro, have singled out India for the purchase of Russian and have blamed it for the Russian war on Ukraine. They have also accused India of profiteering from the sale of refined Russian oil.
As a result, Trump has slapped 25 per cent tariff on India for buying Russian oil in addition to 25 per cent tariff previously imposed. These 50 per cent tariffs are on the back of any pre-existing tariffs. However, Trump has not taken any punitive action against Russian leader Vladimir Putin for rejecting all offers for ceasefire and direct talks with Ukraine and continuing —and ramping up— attacks on Ukraine.
Whitaker called for additional sanctions and tariffs on India, China, and Brazil to increase economic pressure on Russia. He said that the Russian economy was showing signs of strain and that only revenues from oil exports sustained the war effort.
Whitaker further said, “I think the next stage involves applying additional sanctions and tariffs to continue increasing the cost of doing business for Vladimir Putin and reducing his revenue. This must be done in coordination with the European Union. It has to be the whole free world saying: this is not acceptable. The death and destruction we’re seeing need to end. We need to continue increasing the pressure on Vladimir Putin to stop the war.”
Even though Trump has so far not taken any punitive against Putin or even used harsh words about the Russian leader, Whitaker said that Ukraine has shown it wants to make a deal but Russia has not budged.
“Both sides will have to agree, but Ukraine has demonstrated they are willing to make a deal–they’re willing to freeze the front line if they receive the necessary guarantees. Now, we need to make sure that the deal actually takes shape,” said Whitaker.
End of Article