'Don't burn ties with India': Nikki accuses Trump of giving China 'pass'

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has criticised the Trump administration for what she called a double standard in its approach to oil trade with Russia, warning against straining US-India ties, warning that the move could strain the US-India relationship at a crucial time. She warned Trump not to give a pass to "adversary" China and "burn" relations with an ally like India. The Republican leader also called out the Trump administration's duplicity, highlighting a soft-handling of trade with China in which the US paused the tariffs for 90 days.

India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause. Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India.

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 5, 2025

Haley, who has long supported stronger ties between the US and India, has often emphasised the need to counter China’s global influence by building closer partnerships with democratic nations in the Indo-Pacific — particularly India.