White House business advisor Peter Navaro has made new allegations against India for buying oil from Russia, alleging that the country is “Londromat for Kremlin”. Navaro’s attack comes in the days after India’s “Maharaja’s tariff” as he supported US President Donald Trump’s doubt on Indian goods entering the country.
In a media interaction, Navaro said that India’s oil purchases from Russia had nothing before the invasion of Russia’s Ukraine in 2022. “Now argument, when this percentage has gone up to 30–35%, that in any way they need Russian oil, it is nonsense …” Trump Edi can be called in a clip shared by C-Span. He said, “India does not want to recognize its role in bloodshed … It is cohabiting for Xi Jinping (Chinese President). He (India) does not need (Russian) oil,” he said.
Supporting the same argument, Navaro later stated that India’s oil trade with Russia is “a refining profiteering scheme. It is a laundromat for Kremlin.” However, the White House official further said: “I love India. Modi is a great leader, but please see his role in India, global economy. What you are doing right now is not creating peace. It is ending the war.”
Navarro’s comment comes in Trump’s 50% tariff time before India. Last month, Trump announced 25% tariff on Indian imports, which he later threatened up to 50%. While half of these duties came into force earlier this month, the remaining will be effective on August 27.
Navaro said, “In India, 25% of tariffs were imposed because they cheat us on business. Then 25% due to dandruff … They have high tariffs, Maharaja tariffs …”
Navaro said that India with the US, doing business with Russia, to buy its oil, “who is then processed by refiners pays money, and they make a bunch of money there, but then the Russians used money to manufacture more weapons and kill Ukrainian.”
The White House official then said how the American taxpayer’s money goes to provide more military assistance to Ukraine, “It is crazy, and President Trump looks beautifully … in many ways, The Road to Peace runs through New Delhi …”.
This is not the first time the White House official has targeted India on Russian trade. A few days ago, in an opinion for the Financial Times, Navaro termed India’s oil trade with Russia as “opportunistic” and “corrosive”, for the global efforts being made to separate the Russian economy.
“As Russia continues Ukraine, American (and European) taxpayers are forced to spend more billions to help protect Ukraine, as India’s financial support.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is visiting Moscow, turned his hand over the tariffs threatened by the US and said that India was “surprised” on the argument behind the move.
“We are not the biggest buyers of Russian oil, it is China. We are not the biggest buyers of LNG, this is the European Union. We are not the country that is the biggest trade growth with Russia after 2022; I think there are some countries in the south,” he said.
Trade relations between India and the United States have been seeing some tension since Donald Trump’s tariff tired last month. Although it has repeatedly targeted India for its oil trade with Russia, it has not yet imposed any restriction on China.
