Peter Navarro, a former advisor to Donald Trump, has recently lashed out at Elon Musk after X, formerly Twitter, fact-checked his statements concerning India's oil trade with Russia. Navarro's criticism, posted on X, accused India of exploiting the Russia-Ukraine war for profit by purchasing Russian oil.

Navarro's original post asserted that India's high tariffs cost the U.S. jobs and that India's purchase of Russian oil was purely for profit, thus funding Russia's war efforts. He also claimed that Ukrainians and Russians were dying, and U.S. taxpayers were paying more as a result. However, X users quickly added a community note to Navarro's post, providing context that India's oil trade with Russia was for energy security and did not violate any sanctions. The note also pointed out that the U.S. has a trade surplus with India in services and continues to import certain commodities from Russia, implying a double standard.

Navarro, clearly unhappy with the fact check, responded by calling the community note "crap" and accusing Elon Musk of "letting propaganda into people's posts". He reiterated his claim that India buys Russian oil solely to profit and that it didn't purchase any before Russia invaded Ukraine. He also accused the Indian government of running a "spin machine".

This isn't the first time Navarro has targeted India with such accusations. He has previously used terms like "laundromat for the Kremlin" and "Modi's war in Ukraine" to criticize India. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Navarro alleged that India is helping feed the Russian war machine.

X users have countered Navarro's claims by pointing out that automation, not India's tariffs, is the primary driver of manufacturing losses in the U.S. They have also noted that India's imports from the U.S. support American jobs, while Navarro's proposed tariffs would hurt U.S. consumers. Some users also pointed out that China buys the most oil from Russia.

Navarro's attacks on India began after the announcement of 50% tariffs on Indian imports. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected Navarro's inaccurate statements. The debate highlights the complexities and differing perspectives on international trade and foreign policy, particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.