White House trade adviser Peter Navarro made fresh criticism of India over Russian oil purchases, calling the country an “oil money laundromat for the Kremlin” and accusing New Delhi of using American dollars to bankroll Moscow’s war whilst “Ukrainians die.”
In a detailed Twitter thread posted Thursday, Navarro outlined what he called the “India-Russia oil mathematics,” claiming “Indian refiners, with their silent Russian partners, refine and flip the black-market oil for big profits on the international market – while Russia pockets hard currency to fund its war on Ukraine.”
“India’s Big Oil lobby has turned the largest democracy in the world into a massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin,” Navarro wrote, noting that Russian oil imports surged from less than 1% before the Ukraine invasion to over 30% today—more than 1.5 million barrels daily.
Navarro expanded his criticism beyond energy trade, accusing India of “strategic freeloading” by continuing to buy Russian weapons whilst demanding US firms transfer sensitive military technology and build plants in India.
“The Biden admin largely looked the other way at this madness. President Trump is confronting it. A 50% tariff—25% for unfair trade and 25% for national security—is a direct response,” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}“The Biden admin largely looked the other way at this madness. President Trump is confronting it. A 50% tariff—25% for unfair trade and 25% for national security—is a direct response,” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}The American Jewish Committee, one of the oldest and most influential Jewish advocacy organisations in the US, issued a rare defence of India, saying it was “mystified” and “deeply troubled” by the attacks from US officials.
“AJC is mystified, and deeply troubled, by the chorus of attacks on India by U.S. officials -- the latest being a White House advisor’s scurrilous charge that Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine is ‘Modi’s war,’” the committee said on X.
“We regret energy-hungry India’s reliance on Russian oil -- but India isn’t responsible for Putin’s war crimes, is a sister democracy and an increasingly important strategic partner of the United States, and has a crucial role to play in Great Power competition. It’s time to reset this vital relationship.”
The escalating rhetoric from Navarro has drawn criticism from former Republican leaders including John Bolton, Nikki Haley and Condoleezza Rice, who have warned that tensions risk damaging the strategic partnership.
Democratic representatives including Suhas Subramanyam, Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Ami Bera have also questioned Trump’s handling of ties with India.