White House trade advisor Peter Navarro launched a fresh attack against India on Thursday — accusing it of being a “laundromat for the Kremlin”. The remarks came days after the Donald Trump aide accused New Delhi of “cozying up to both Russia and China” in an opinion article. Navarro called India a “Maharaj” in tariffs who was running a “profiteering scheme” by using discounted Russian crude oil. He also suggested that the country could see its US tariffs double by next week amid continued purchase of Russian oil.
The remarks came days after the White House advisor wrote a scathing op-ed in the Financial Times to criticise India for it continued procurement of Russian crude oil. Navarro has repeatedly insisted the Indian stance — of requiring Russian oil to meet energy requirements — does not make any sense. The top Trump aide has also proclaimed on multiple occasions that the road to peace “ran through New Delhi”.
His latest salvo came even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow and reiterated the Indian stance. The Indian lawmaker noted that the stance taken by the Trump administration was rather “perplexing” since the US itself had asked New Delhi to help stabilise global energy markets by buying Russian oil. He also noted that China — rather than India — was the largest buyer of Russian oil. The US has not initiated any similar oil-linked action against Beijing and recently clarified that no such plan was in the works at present.
Trump aide alleges Indian ‘role’ in Ukraine bloodshed
Navarro told reporters at the White House that it was “nonsense” to suggest India needed to buy Russian oil and warned about additional tariffs by next week. He also claimed that New Delhi “did not want to recognise its role in the bloodshed” amid the Ukraine war. He has now suggested at least three times in as many days that India was indirectly ‘funding the ongoing war in Ukraine through trade with Russia.
“The money they get from us (through trade etc)…they use it to buy Russian oil which then is processed by their refiners. The Russians use the money to build arms and kill Ukrainians, and American taxpayers have to provide more aid and military hardware to Ukrainians. That’s insane. India does not want to recognise its role in the bloodshed,” he told reporters.
‘India running a profiteering scheme’
He has also repeatedly accused New Delhi of running a “profiteering” scheme— contending that Russian refiners were ‘colluding’ with their Indian counterparts. Navarro also reiterated these comments during the media interaction on Thursday — noting that India had ramped up purchase of Russian oil from 1% to 35% since the war began. The White House trade advisor accused India of “stealing American jobs” and stunting trade with “unfair practices” during his interview on Wednesday.
“Russia offers these refiners a steep discount on the crude. And then they partner with Indian refiners to sell the refined products at premium prices to Africa, Asia, and Europe. That funds the war machine. There is over a million barrels a day…” the Trump aide had alleged hours earlier during an interview with Fox News.
He claimed that the current situation was “purely profiteering by the Indian refining industry” yet again on Thursday — citing trade between Washington and New Delhi to underscore his point.
“What is the net impact on Americans because of our trade with India? They are Maharaj in tariff. (We have) higher non-tariff barriers, massive trade deficit etc — and that hurts American workers and American business,” he said.
India had ramped up its purchase of discounted Russian oil after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. New Delhi maintains that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics. Russian oil imported by India has increased from a mere 1.7% in 2020 to more than 35% by 2025 — making it the biggest oil supplier to the country.
(With inputs from agencies)