A day after Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff “plus penalty” on India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Thursday voiced concern that New Delhi’s continued import of Russian oil is “most certainly a point of irritation” in the relationship between the two nations.“India is an ally. It’s a strategic partner. But… [their oil trade with Russia] is most certainly a point of irritation in our relationship,” Rubio said in a telephonic interview with Fox Radio aired on July 31, as countries across the globe braced for tariffs hike ahead of Trump’s August 1 deadline.On Friday, in a surprise executive order, the US President went on to announce steep tariff rates for about 70 countries. The move has ramped up pressure on India as over 50 countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh now have lower lower tariffs on their goods.‘Not going to align 100% of time’Rubio referred to the situation as “not the only point of irritation” with India. “We also have many other points of cooperation with them. But I think what you’re seeing the President express is the very clear frustration that with so many other oil vendors available, India continues to buy so much from Russia, which in essence is helping to fund the war effort… and allowing this war to continue in Ukraine.”In the interview, Rubio also warned that cheap oil sanctioned by Moscow is still “helping to sustain the Russian war effort” against Ukraine.“Like anything in foreign policy, you’re not going to align a hundred percent of the time on everything. India has huge energy needs and that includes the ability to buy oil and coal and gas and things that it needs to power its economy like every country does, and it buys it from Russia,” he added.Further, the US Secretary of State also discussed other issues, including relations with Pakistan and China, the Gaza conflict, influence of Western media, etc. The US Department of State issued a press release detailing out the radio interview.Story continues below this adA round-up of the issues Rubio discussed in the interview:US tilting towards Pakistan? Rubio was asked whether the US was showing signs of shifting toward Pakistan and away from India. The interviewer noted concerns that recent moves, such as cautioning Taiwan’s president against cross-country travel to avoid provoking China. “We seem to be going more towards Pakistan than India as of late,” the interviewer said, before asking Rubio whether the US was now in “deal mode” with China. Rubio responded by mentioning continued friction with Beijing and affirmed America’s ongoing regional commitments. “We have plenty of issues that we disagree with China on, and they happen every day,” he said. “We remain as committed as ever to freedom of navigation in the region. We remain as committed as ever to our partners in the Philippines and in places like Taiwan and other things of this nature.” Rubio clarified that while there is engagement, it does not amount to a full trade deal. “What we have is an agreement in the short term that was just recently extended after a very hard negotiation that occurred with our trade negotiators just a few days ago,” he said.Story continues below this adOn allies recognising Palestinian state: ‘Irrelevant’ Amid rising global support for Palestinian statehood, Rubio dismissed recent moves by allies like the UK, Canada and France as ‘irrelevant.’ He argued that it encourages Hamas and complicates ceasefire efforts. “First of all, none of these countries have the ability to create a Palestinian state. There can be no Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to it.” He added that these countries “can’t even tell you where this Palestinian state is” or “who will govern it.” “If Hamas refuses to agree to a ceasefire, it guarantees a Palestinian state will be recognised by all these countries in September. So they’re not going to agree to a ceasefire. I mean, it’s so clumsy,” he added.Criticism of Western media Rubio criticised global media outlets, particularly the BBC, for their coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict. “95 percent of their coverage is about how evil, in their narrative, Israel is. Very little coverage paid to the hostages, the families.”Story continues below this ad Defending the US efforts in the conflict, he said: “We’ve done more than, frankly, anybody else in terms of providing funding necessary for humanitarian relief in Gaza.” He went on: “Cameras capture the images of the human suffering there. You know what the cameras don’t capture? The suffering of 20 people living in tunnels right now taken hostage by Hamas for… for a long time.”(With inputs from US State Department)