From 'Modi's war' to 'Kremlin's laundromat', invectives pile up

The TOI correspondent from Washington: Trump surrogates on Friday kept up a relentless attack on New Delhi for purportedly fuelling Russia's war against Ukraine, shaking US-India ties in a manner not seen in more than 50 years amid growing concern outside MAGA-sphere.

From accusing India of being a "laundromat for Kremlin" (WH trade counselor Peter Navarro ) to alleging New Delhi and its Brics allies are somehow responsible for Russia's latest bombing of Kyiv in which 23 people died (Senator Lindsey Graham), Trump minions continued to savage India amid pushback from former US officials, think tanks, advocacy groups, and Democrat lawmakers seeking to arrest the slide.

"India, China, Brazil and others who prop up Putin's war machine by buying cheap Russian oil: How do you feel right now that your purchases have resulted in innocent civilians, including children, being killed?" South Carolina Senator and Trump minion Lindsey Graham wrote on X hours after the the latest bombing in Kyiv that killed 23, warning, with reference to the 50% tariff on New Delhi, "India is experiencing the cost of supporting Putin. To the rest, you will soon too."

It was Graham, widely seen as a warmonger even in Republican circles, who triggered the Trump tariffs on India by introducing the "Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025" which, among other things, proposed a 500% tariff on nations buying Russian energy. While Russia, China, and EU have since been treated with kid gloves, India inexplicably has borne the brunt of Graham's ire.

In a series of vituperative posts following up his characterisation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict as " Modi's war ," Graham's White House pointman Peter Navarro accused India of "using our dollars" to "bankroll" Russia and said New Delhi's buying of Russian oil "carries an added price of blood and devastation in Ukraine." "It doesn't stop there. India continues to buy Russian weapons - while demanding that US firms transfer sensitive military tech and build plants in India. That's strategic freeloading," Navarro said, adding, "If India, the world's largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the US, it needs to act like one. The road to peace in Ukraine runs through New Delhi."

The comments came even as the US state department on Friday announced it will send 3,500 extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, a $825 million tab bankrolled by Europe and US, raising questions about their role in the bloodbath. By some accounts, it was US shenanigans in Ukraine that triggered the war.

The virulence of the Graham-Navarro attacks - unchecked by the MAGA supremo - alarmed even conservative pundits outside the MAGA-sphere. "Blow up our relationship with India over Russia's invasion of Ukraine," is proof we're in the dumbest timeline. Putin loves this. If this is what "winning" looks like, I'd rather lose," said Jeff Smith, director of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank.

The attacks on India even bothered the advocacy group American Jewish Committee to speak beyond its immediate remit. "AJC is mystified, and deeply troubled, by the chorus of attacks on India by U.S. officials....We regret energy-hungry India's reliance on Russian oil - but India isn't responsible for Putin's war crimes, is a sister democracy and an increasingly important strategic partner of the US, and has a crucial role to play in Great Power competition. It's time to reset this vital relationship," it said.

While supine Republican lawmakers, including many in the India caucus, remained silent, House Democrats blasted the administration for "sabotaging US-India relations ".