White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has accused India of prolonging the Ukraine conflict by purchasing discounted Russian crude oil, calling the practice a “laundromat for the Kremlin” that enables Moscow to fund its war machine.
“India doesn’t appear to want to recognise its role in the bloodshed… They don’t need Russian oil. It’s a refining profiteering scheme. I love India, Modi is a great leader, but please, India, look at your role in the global economy. What you’re doing right now is not creating peace. It’s perpetuating the war,” Navarro said.
He noted that before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India imported less than one per cent of its crude from Moscow. Today, that figure stands at 35–40 per cent. Navarro argued that India’s refiners buy cheap Russian oil, process it, and sell products at a premium, with the profits indirectly financing Russia’s war.
Navarro also defended the Trump administration’s recent decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian goods, effective August 27. He described India’s trade regime as “Maharaja tariffs” and blamed it for a “massive” US trade deficit that “hurts American workers and businesses.”
His sharp remarks come against the backdrop of growing debate in Washington over how to balance ties with New Delhi. Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has urged Donald Trump to treat India as a “prized free and democratic partner” and reverse what she called a “downward spiral” in bilateral relations. She stressed that India remains the only credible counterweight to China’s growing dominance in Asia.
Economist Jeffrey Sachs has also criticised the tariff move as “self-destructive,” warning that it undermines years of efforts to strengthen US–India ties while pushing New Delhi closer to the BRICS bloc.
India, meanwhile, has defended its energy policy. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar pointed out that China is the largest buyer of Russian oil and the EU the biggest importer of Russian LNG. He said US officials themselves had earlier urged India to buy Russian crude to stabilise global energy markets.
“It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
China has also criticised Washington’s tariff decision, with Ambassador Xu Feihong accusing the US of “bullying tactics” and vowing that Beijing would work with New Delhi to defend the multilateral trading system under the WTO.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, India has reiterated that it will continue to take “all actions necessary to protect its national interests,” underscoring its reliance on affordable energy supplies for the needs of 1.4 billion citizens.
