Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine
"What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia," said Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of Trump's most influential aides.
Miller's criticism was some of the strongest yet by the Trump administration about one of the United States' major partners in the Indo-Pacific.
"People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact," Miller said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."
The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday that New Delhi will keep purchasing oil from Moscow despite U.S. threats.
A 25% tariff on Indian products went into effect on Friday as a result of its purchase of military equipment and energy from Russia. Trump has also threatened 100% tariffs on U.S. imports from countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine.
Miller tempered his criticism by noting Trump's relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he described as "tremendous."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The one thing Donald Trump isn't saying about tariffs
Donald Trump's words and actions rarely align perfectly. If you watch carefully, what he doesn't say can be just as telling as what he does. 'Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods,' he told the nation ahead of his re-election. The US president declared on 2 April would 'forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn', only to pause tariffs a week later. He promised peace in Ukraine on day one of his presidency, only to later clarify this was 'said in jest'; and has claimed very few people can beat him at golf, only for footage from Scotland to raise questions over just how honest that round might be. As a real estate mogul, reality TV star and political campaigner, Trump learned to bend narrative to his will, even if it meant straying from reality. As president, this often leaves a gap between what he says and what he does. In many cases, the administration's actions are more important to follow than the firehose of words. If you were, say, a US business buying coffee from Brazil, you might have rushed to import it last week after Trump insisted 1 August was the cast-iron deadline for new tariffs. 'It stands strong, and will not be extended,' he wrote on Wednesday – hours before signing an executive order that said new steep tariffs on the country would come into force on 8 August, after all. And if you're a US consumer, you might reasonably ask how inflation can be 'dead', as the White House has claimed, if you're still shelling out more on groceries each month. The president has an awful lot to say about tariffs. They will, he argues, raise 'trillions' of dollars for the US federal government; eliminate trade deficits with other countries; and even punish Brazil for putting his ally, the former president Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for allegedly seeking to seize power after losing the 2022 presidential election. The list goes on. But what about what the president doesn't say? Trump was re-elected last November after repeatedly pledging to rapidly bring down prices for Americans. This assurance formed a central pillar of his election campaign – a regular refrain in rallies, interviews and debates – as millions found it harder to make ends meet after years of inflation. Every policy comes at a cost. Every tax must be paid by someone, somewhere. For consumers, The Budget Lab at Yale estimates the short-term price impact of Trump's tariff changes is equivalent to an average per household income loss of $2,400. What Trump doesn't really talk about the impact of his aggressive tariff agenda on US is prices. One of the few times he has acknowledged it might actually exacerbate inflation led to a bizarre tangent about dolls back in May. Acknowledging that tariffs might cause price rises, Trump suggested American children might have to settle for having 'two dolls instead of 30 dolls'. Back then, Joe Biden was still to blame for any signs of strife in the economy, according to Trump. Now, he argues almost daily Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is responsible. The biggest indication yet that the US economy is creaking on Trump's watch came on Friday, when official data revealed the labor market had stalled this summer. He unceremoniously fired the veteran official in charge of the statistics – and alleged, without evidence, that the numbers had been rigged. With higher US tariffs now in place on a string of countries, the president and his administration will inevitably say a lot about the benefits of his economic strategy. They are already trying to stifle evidence of drawbacks. They might even raise the prospect of a handout – pitched as a sign of this policy's success, rather than a concession that many Americans are still hard up. But if you're running a small business reliant on trade, or walking into the grocery store on a budget, reality supersedes rhetoric. Words don't pay the bills.
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Nebraska Republican heckled at town hall over Epstein files and Trump's firing of labor stats chief
Nebraska Republican Rep. Mike Flood endured another torrid town hall event in his state on Monday, with audience members booing and heckling him and demanding answers on the Jeffrey Epstein files. Flood was subjected to yells and hostility throughout the meeting, with 'rowdy' Lincoln residents yelling, interjecting and breaking into chants including 'Free Palestine,' 'tax the rich' and 'vote him out,' NBC News reports. The congressman's constituents were particularly incensed about Epstein, President Donald Trump 's firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer, the impact of his 'One Big Beautiful Bill' and the administration's brutal illegal immigration crackdown. Accused of being complicit in a 'coverup' of the Epstein files, Flood said he supported their release, pledged to co-sponsor a nonbinding House resolution calling for their publication and said he supported Kentucky Rep. James Comer's efforts to compel the pedophile's jailed accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to sit for a deposition. On Trump's decision to fire McEntarfer on Friday after accusing her of publishing incorrect data, Flood was less definite, insisting we do not know 'all the details' behind the president's decision. 'I don't know what the situation was with the Department of Labor person. Neither do you. I don't know. I don't know,' he said. 'I can tell you I've been an employer for a lot of years, and there's always two sides to every story, and I don't know what that side was. I will say this, though, if all that person did was get the data out there, if all that, and I don't know that's the case, but if that's all they did, I would not have fired her.' Regarding Trump's signature tax and spending legislation, which passed Congress last month without a single Democrat voting for it and despite many of Flood's fellow Republicans expressing deep reservations about its likely impact on welfare recipients, the congressman insisted there was 'a lot of misinformation' being circulated about the bill. He was nevertheless peppered with questions about how the multi-billion dollar increase to the national debt would be paid off and, in one extraordinary moment, attempted to turn the tables on his interlocutors by asking them: 'Do you think that people who are 28-years-old, that can work, and refuse to work, should get free healthcare?' They answered, emphatically and as one: 'Yes!' In another exchange, Flood was asked: 'With $450 million being allocated to Alligator Alcatraz and ICE burning through $8.4 million a day to illegally detain people, how much does it cost for fascism? How much do the tax payers have to pay for a fascist country?' The reference to Trump's new migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, popular with his MAGA base, was repeated by another member of the audience, who dubbed it 'Alligator Auschwitz' instead, according to NBC. Flood stuttered in response: 'Americans voted for a... for a border that is secure, and I support the president enforcing our immigration laws, which, by the way, were written by Congress.' The answer only inspired further boos and derision. The Nebraska Democratic Party reportedly urged its members to attend the representative's town hall, as it did in May when the politician was also given a hard time, not least when he admitted he had not read the full text of the Big, Beautiful Bill before voting for it. Flood, who was elected to Congress in 2022, also suffered boos and heckles at another event in March, when his constituents were concerned about Elon Musk 's apparent unchecked influence over the president before their very public falling out in June.
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump ‘pushing for all or nothing deal' on Gaza as Netanyahu ‘wants full occupation'
Donald Trump is pushing for an 'all or nothing' agreement to end the war in Gaza while Benjamin Netanyahu wants to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, according to reports. After months of ceasefire talks stalled, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump are reportedly working on a deal that presents Hamas with an ultimatum: release the hostages and agree to terms to disarm or the war continues. 'No piecemeal deals. That doesn't work,' US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly told hostage families in an audio leaked to Israeli news outlet Ynet. 'We think that we have to shift this negotiation to 'all or nothing' - everybody comes home,' Mr Witkoff was quoted as saying later in the recording. International leaders have ramped up pressure to reach a deal as Gaza faces widespread starvation and videos of two emaciated Israeli hostages circulated online. Domestic pressure in Israel has also been growing as the videos prompted thousands of people to protest in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to release the hostages and end the war. Nearly 600 retired Israeli security officials and former intelligence agency heads have written to Mr Trump urging him to put pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza immediately. Mr Netanyahu is set to update his military plan for Gaza this week amid local media reports he wants to occupy all of the besieged enclave. 'The die is cast - we are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip,' senior officials close to Netanyahu is quoted as saying in Ynet. 'There will be activity also in areas where hostages are being held. If this doesn't suit the IDF Chief of Staff, he can resign.' An official was also quoted as telling Israeli Channel 12: 'The decision has been made… we are going to occupy the Gaza Strip.' The Jerusalem Post and i24NEWS also reported senior sources confirming plans for a full occupation. Mr Netanyahu's office has been approached for comment. Meanwhile, 'the worst-case scenario of famine' is playing out in Gaza, according to a UN-back food security agency. Israel has repeatedly denied that there are restrictions on aid or that there is a hunger crisis in Gaza. It blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it is taking steps to get more aid to Palestinians. In total, 289 airdrops have been conducted since Israel permitted them to restart two weeks ago, delivering 305 tonnes of aid. However officials in Jordan warned that they have had warehouses of aid for Gaza gathering dust since Israel reimposed its devastating blockade in March. More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
