Stephen Miller's criticism of India's purchases of Russian oil is some of the strongest yet by the administration about one of the United States' major partners.

What President Trump said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia,” Miller stated. He added that India is now “practically tied with China” in terms of Russian oil purchases — a claim that surprised many viewers.

But ties between Washington and New Delhi have steadily soured over disputes about trade, Russia and whether Trump deserves credit for brokering a cease-fire following a four-day conflict in May between India and its rival Pakistan.