Explained | Who is Stephen Miller, a senior Trump aide who commented on India funding the Russia-Ukraine war?

Remembered for his tough stand on controversial immigration-related policies, he has been a keen member of the Trump side.

As US President Donald Trump puts pressure on India to restrict buying Russian oil, Stephen Miller, a top aide of the president has accused New Delhi of funding Russia's attacks on Ukraine, by importing oil from the Moscow capital.

"What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia," Miller stated.

India has however remained defiant and said that it will continue to purchase oil from Russia, stating that it meets the country's energy needs.

Who is Stephen Miller

Miller is a key figure who is known as a prominent member in American politics. Remembered for his tough stand on the controversial immigration-related policies, he has been a keen member of the Trump side.

Before becoming the President's aide, he was the Congressionial aide for various Republican Party members, such as Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL).

In 2016, he joined the Trump campaign as a speechwriter and policy advisor, through which he got opportunities to write Donald Trump's speeches. Later, he was given the position to be a Senior Advisor to Trump, where he had access to influence various aspects of immigration policies.

The controversies he was involved in revolved around his stances on promoting anti-immigration policies. In 2019, a series of e-mails were leaked, with information related to alleged white supremist discussion pointers being exposed, including many lawmakers insisting for his resignation.

Miller worked closely with Trump as one of the President's most trusted aides for four years, from 2017 to 2021. He also took active part in the Zero tolerance policy, which eventually led to family separations at borders, limiting refugee acceptance, and the Muslim travel ban which led to nationwide protests in the US when first implemented as it emphasized on US citizens being barred from visiting mostly African and Middle Eastern countries.

After his association with the Trump administration, in 2021, he started a right-wing party called the America First Legal (AFL), that concentrated on topics related to gender, immigration and race.