As trade talks between India and the United States are set to resume, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has made a fresh statement indicating that India is "coming to the table". These negotiations follow recent tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Indian exports.

Navarro's comments, made in an interview with CNBC International, come as U.S. trade representative for South Asia, Brendan Lynch, is scheduled to visit New Delhi for discussions. Rajesh Agarwal, India's chief negotiator and special secretary in the commerce ministry, has confirmed that India and the U.S. will "fast-track" trade talks.

However, Navarro has also criticized India's trade policies, alleging that New Delhi has "very high non-tariff barriers". He has repeatedly attacked India amidst ongoing tensions between the two nations over trade. He described India as the 'Maharajah' of tariffs, stating that they have the highest tariffs in any major country in the world against the United States.

In addition to trade imbalances, Navarro has also criticized India's continued procurement of Russian oil, accusing Indian refiners of being "in bed with Russian refiners" immediately after the beginning of the Ukraine war. He has alleged that India is making money via "unfair trade" and indirectly financing the Russian war. "They make money off us via unfair trade, and many workers get screwed. They use that money to buy Russian oil, and Russians use that to buy weapons," Navarro told CNBC International.

These remarks have come even as top aides have held New Delhi responsible for ongoing 'bloodshed' in Ukraine — claiming that India was indirectly financing the Russian war and being a “laundromat for the Kremlin”.

Despite the tensions, there have been signs of a potential thaw in relations. Trump acknowledged India's counter-offer to cut tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, though he dismissed it as "too late". Previously, a U.S. visit to New Delhi, planned for late August, was cancelled after talks hit major roadblocks, as New Delhi resisted opening its vast agricultural and dairy sectors. Sergio Gor, Trump's nominee to be ambassador to India, said recently that the two sides were "not that far apart" on tariffs, and differences would be resolved in the next few weeks.

India and the U.S. have held five rounds of bilateral trade agreement (BTA) negotiations so far. The current talks are intended to be a precursor to the sixth round of negotiations, aiming to revive the suspended bilateral trade agreement negotiations.