Tensions between Washington and New Delhi have hit a new low, driven by White House advisor Peter Navarro's scathing X post today. Navarro accuses India of being a "strategic freeloader," claiming its purchase of Russian oil fuels the war in Ukraine, acting as a "financial lifeline" to Putin's war machine. He insists Delhi must "act like a strategic partner" if it seeks that status with the U.S., a demand that underscores a deteriorating relationship. This comes just two days before a critical meeting between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in Tianjin on Sunday, which could fundamentally reshape China-India ties. A potential thaw, possibly boosting trade  might shift India's global alignment, impacting its relationship with the U.S. further.  But all this is at the larger level - What India will not accept are condescending messages from a White House Advisor whose messages expose a lack of understand and out and out hypocrisy.