ISTANBUL

India could receive a 25% reduction in US tariffs "tomorrow" if it stops purchasing Russian oil, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro said Wednesday.

"It's real easy. India can get 25% off tomorrow if it stops buying Russian oil and helping to feed (Russia’s) war machine," he told Bloomberg in an interview.

Navarro said that when India buys discounted Russian oil and sells it globally, Russia uses the revenue to fund its "war machine" and "kill more Ukrainians.”

He accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of providing Moscow funds "that buys a lot of drones and bombs to kill Ukrainians” via oil purchases.

"The reality is you got to stop India and China from buying Russian oil. You do that tomorrow...the war is over," he said.

“If people just stop buying Russian oil, then it's only a matter of time before (Russian President Vladimir) Putin doesn't have the money to fund that war," Navarro said, adding the road to peace partially passes through New Delhi.

US President Donald Trump's 50% tariff on Indian imports took effect Wednesday.

A US tariff of 25% on Indian goods came into force earlier this month, but Trump imposed an additional 25% as a penalty for India's purchases of discounted Russian crude oil.

US-India two-way goods trade totaled $129 billion in 2024, with the US posting a $45.8 billion trade deficit, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.