Bessent’s remarks come on the heels of a scathing op-ed by White House adviser Peter Navarro in the Financial Times, accusing India’s energy giants of funneling profits from Russian oil “into Vladimir Putin’s war chest.

The US's tariff deadline for China, which was scheduled to end on August 12, was extended by President Donald Trump by 90 days earlier this month.

Bessent told CNBC in an interview that Russian oil now accounted for 42% of India's total oil purchases, up from under 1% before the war, and contrasted that with longtime buyer China, whose Russian oil purchases had increased to 16% from 13%.