A senior aide to U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply criticized India for continuing oil imports from Russia, accusing New Delhi of indirectly financing Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Stephen Miller, Trump’s former deputy chief of staff and one of his most influential advisors, stated on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures that “it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing oil from Russia.”
By TrendyUpdates Newsdesk August 4,2025
Miller’s remarks mark one of the Trump camp’s most forceful public condemnations of India, a key strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific. “People will be stunned to learn that India is now essentially tied with China in terms of Russian oil purchases. That’s an astonishing fact,” he said. The comments follow Trump’s recent warnings to Delhi, urging an immediate halt to its Russian oil trade.
Despite the mounting pressure, Indian officials reaffirmed over the weekend that the country will continue sourcing oil from Moscow, citing energy security and economic interests.
Meanwhile, in southern Russia, a major blaze at an oil depot in Sochi was extinguished on Sunday after what authorities described as a Ukrainian drone strike. Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar region, confirmed that over 120 firefighters were deployed to control the fire, which engulfed two storage tanks at the Ilsky refinery.
Overnight, Ukraine reported a large-scale aerial offensive by Russia, involving 76 drones and seven missiles. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 60 drones and one missile, while the remaining projectiles struck targets in eight locations. Russia’s defense ministry countered by saying it had intercepted 93 Ukrainian drones, including 60 over the Black Sea and one over Krasnodar.
In a rare sign of dialogue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that both countries had reached a preliminary agreement to exchange 1,200 prisoners. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Zelenskyy said the final list is still being negotiated, and preparations for another round of talks are underway.
Elsewhere, a Russian missile strike on the southeastern Ukrainian town of Stepnohirsk killed three civilians and destroyed several homes, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov. The report has not been independently verified.
Amid ongoing tensions, the Russian and Chinese navies have commenced joint drills in the Sea of Japan, involving artillery and anti-submarine operations. The Russian Pacific Fleet said the exercises were pre-planned and not a response to Donald Trump’s recent claim that he ordered U.S. nuclear submarines into “appropriate regions” following statements by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
As the war enters its 1,258th day, the geopolitical and military dimensions continue to evolve rapidly — from battlefield escalations to high-level diplomatic posturing.
Leave a Reply