Haley urges stronger U.S.-India partnership amid Russia oil row

Nikki Haley, a leading Republican voice and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has urged Washington and New Delhi to reinforce their partnership at a moment of friction over trade and Russia’s oil. In a Newsweek opinion piece and related remarks, Haley argued that India must be treated as a “prized free and democratic partner” in the effort to counter China, while also pressing New Delhi to take President Donald Trump’s concerns about its Russian oil purchases seriously and work with the White House to find a solution quickly.

The broader context is a rift that has widened since Washington imposed secondary tariffs on India for continuing to buy Russian crude. The administration has moved to push Indian goods to a total 50 percent duty, including a 25 percent levy tied to Russia’s oil sales, a move critics say heightens tensions with a country that has become indispensable to U.S. supply-chain diversification and regional security calculations. India has defended its energy choices as in its national interest and driven by market conditions, insisting that oil procurement from Russia is a strategic decision made in a constrained global context.