Nikki Haley asks India to take Trump's concerns on Russian oil 'seriously'

Republican leader Nikki Haley said India should take US President Donald Trump’s concerns over Russian oil imports seriously and work with the White House to find a solution “at the earliest.”

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In a social media post on Saturday (August 23), Haley stressed that “navigating challenges such as trade disputes and Russian oil imports requires tough dialogue.” She posted on X excerpts of the opinion piece she wrote last week for Newsweek amid strain in ties between the two countries after Trump slapped a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods.

Draws flak from within

Haley has been facing criticism within her party for favouring India amid tariff tensions between the two countries.

In her article, Haley said, “Trump is right to target India’s massive Russian oil purchases, which are helping to fund Vladimir Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine.” However, she added that India must be treated like the “prized free and democratic partner that it is—not an adversary like China.”

Stresses US-India ties

Haley highlighted decades of “friendship and goodwill” between India and the US, the world's two largest democracies. It provides a “solid basis to move past the current turbulence,” she added. She said that the US and India “should not lose sight of what matters most: our shared goals.” She added that the United States must have a friend in India to face China.

“India stands alone in its potential to manufacture at a China-like scale for products that can’t be quickly or efficiently produced here (in the US),” Haley said in her article.

Political track record

Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina, was the US Ambassador to the United Nations under Trump’s first presidential term, becoming the first Indian-American to be appointed to a cabinet-level post in the US administration.

In 2013, she officially announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election and withdrew from the race in March last year.

Trump’s tariff hike

President Trump has doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil that will come into effect from August 27.

Also read | US, Pakistan have history of overlooking history: Jaishankar

Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.

India 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 agency inputs)