Washington DC, Aug. 22 -- Despite sharp criticism for purchasing Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro on Thursday (local time) praised India's leadership and highlighted its key role in bringing the Ukraine-Russia conflict to an end.

"The road to peace runs through New Delhi," said Navarro while calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi "a great leader"

Navarro argued that India doesn't need Russian oil, pointing out that before the Ukraine invasion in February 2022, India imported less than 1% of its oil from Russia. In contrast, now it imports around 35-40%.

"Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India bought virtually no Russian oil... The argument now, when this percentage has gone up to 30-35%, that so...