3 hours ago
Navarro's comments come as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded to criticism of India by American officials for its energy ties with Russia, and said the US itself had asked New Delhi to help stabilise global energy markets by buying Russian oil.
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 22, 2025 01:48 IST
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro turned up the heat on India’s role in the Ukraine war, accusing New Delhi of refinery profiteering and dubbing it a “laundromat” (self-service laundry) for Russian oil.
“It’s nonsense that India needs Russian oil,” Navarro told reporters, warning that President Donald Trump is unlikely to extend the August 27 deadline for doubling tariffs on India as punishment for buying crude from Moscow.
Navarro's comments come as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded to criticism of India by American officials for its energy ties with Russia, and said the US itself had asked New Delhi to help stabilise global energy markets by buying Russian oil.
The White House Trade Adviser also talked about how India is "cosying up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The longtime Trump aide said Indian refiners are cashing in while fuelling the war. "They don’t need oil -- it’s a refining profiteering scheme," he argued.
"India uses the money that they get from us when they sell us stuff to buy Russian oil, which then is processed by refiners, and they make a bunch of money there. But then the Russians use the money to build more arms and kill Ukrainians, and so American taxpayers have to provide more aid, military style, to the Ukrainians. So that’s insane," he added.
Navarro mixed criticism with praise for India’s leadership, but pressed New Delhi to change course. "I love India. Look, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is a great leader. But please, please India, like, look at what your role here is in the global economy what you’re doing right now is not creating peace, it’s perpetuating the war."
Branding India’s trade policies as "Maharaja tariffs," Navarro quipped that the "road to peace runs through New Delhi" -- urging the country to stop giving Moscow an economic lifeline.
The sharp remarks highlight Trump’s hard line on India’s energy trade with Russia, with Navarro insisting: "President Trump sees that chessboard beautifully. And you guys need to write about that."
Navarro's fresh attack on India came three days after he wrote a piece in the Financial Times slamming the country for its procurement of Russian crude oil. He said the argument that India needs Russian oil to meet its energy requirement does not make any sense.
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Published By:
Satyam Singh
Published On:
Aug 22, 2025
