Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, has accused India of being a “laundromat for the Kremlin” due to its increased purchase of Russian oil.
This new criticism follows his previous comments where he referred to India as the “Maharaja of tariffs.
“During a media interaction, Navarro stated that India’s oil imports from Russia were minimal before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine but have since risen significantly. He argued that this is not a necessity for India but rather a “refining profiteering scheme” that helps finance Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
Navarro also connected India’s trade to a broader geopolitical issue, claiming that money from the U.S. is going to India, which then uses it to buy Russian oil.
This, he said, allows Russia to “build more arms and kill Ukrainians,” while American taxpayers are left to fund military aid for Ukraine.
The comments come as the Trump administration plans to double tariffs on Indian goods. Last month, 25% tariffs were imposed, with another 25% set to take effect on August 27. Navarro justified the tariffs by citing a large trade deficit and what he called “Maharaja tariffs” on American goods entering India.
In response, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, while visiting Moscow, expressed bewilderment at the U.S. rationale. He pointed out that India is not the largest buyer of Russian oil or LNG, and that other nations have seen a larger trade surge with Russia since 2022.
