White House trade adviser Peter Navarro once again denounced India for its Russian oil buys, terming the nation a "laundromat for the Kremlin." This comes after recent statements in which he termed India the "Maharaja of tariffs," defending past US President Donald Trump's proposal to double tariff on Indian imports.
During a media briefing, Navarro pointed out that India's Russian oil imports were zero before Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. "The argument now, when this percentage has risen to 30-35%, that somehow they are in need of Russian oil, is rubbish.," Navarro stated in a video posted by C-Span. "India does not seem to want to acknowledge its role in the bloodshed. It's getting close to Xi Jinping. They (India) don't need the (Russian) oil."
Navarro went on to claim that India's oil transactions with Russia constitute "a scheme of refining profiteering. It's a Kremlin laundry." He continued, yet added, "I adore India. Modi is a fantastic leader, but for goodness' sake, India, consider your position in the global economy. What you're currently doing is not generating peace. It's continuing the war.
The comments were made days ahead of Trump's suggested 50% tariff on Indian imports. In the last month, Trump had promised a 25% tariff on Indian products and the option to double it to 50%. Half of these tariffs were triggered earlier this month, and the rest is planned for August 27.
Navarro emphasized that the tariffs are retaliatory in nature against India's trade practices. "In India, 25% tariffs were instituted because they cheat us on trade. Then 25% due to Russian oil. They have Maharaja tariffs, higher tariffs., " he said, pointing out the huge trade deficit between India and the US that he alleges hurts American businesses.
He said that the money India makes from US trade is partly used to pay for Russian oil, "which then is refined by refiners, and they make a lot of money there, but then the Russians use the money to build more weapons and kill Ukrainians." Navarro noted that American taxpayer dollars are then spent to fund Ukrainian military aid, referring to it as "insane" and saying that "President Trump sees that chessboard beautifully.". In large part, the path to peace goes through New Delhi.
This is not the first public criticism of India's Russia dealings by Navarro. In a recent Financial Times opinion article, he labeled India's oil business with Russia as "opportunistic" and "corrosive" to worldwide efforts at isolating the Russian economy.
While Russia is pounding Ukraine with assistance from India's economic support, then American (and European) taxpayers have to shell out tens of billions of dollars more to assist Ukraine's defense. All this time, India continues slamming the door shut on American exports with high tariffs and barriers to trade. Over 300,000 soldiers and civilians have died, as NATO's eastern border becomes increasingly vulnerable and the West pays for India's oil laundering," Navarro wrote.
He further observed that India is not the biggest buyer of Russian crude, pointing to China as the largest buyer, nor the largest buyer of LNG, which he pointed out to the European Union. He further stated, "We are not the nation which has the largest trade boom with Russia after 2022; I believe there are some nations to the south."
Trade relations between the US and India have been under tension ever since Trump's recent announcements on tariffs last month. Though India has been repeatedly targeted for its Russian oil imports, the same has not yet been done with China.
