White House Trade and Manufacturing Adviser Peter Navarro has once again launched sharp criticism against India, accusing New Delhi of using Russian crude oil for profit and indirectly financing Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
In a post on X on Friday, Navarro claimed that India’s high tariffs were costing American jobs and alleged that oil revenues were strengthening Russia’s war machine. “India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth,” he wrote, while also dismissing a Washington Post article that highlighted tensions in US-India ties.
Navarro, who has previously referred to India as a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and used caste-based remarks like “Brahmins are profiteering”, has drawn criticism for his rhetoric.
White House Economic Adviser Kevin Hassett echoed concerns, noting that President Donald Trump and his trade team were “disappointed” with India’s continued oil imports from Russia, though he expressed hope for “positive developments.”
India, however, firmly rejected Navarro’s remarks. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the comments as “inaccurate and misleading”, stressing that India values its strategic partnership with the US, rooted in shared democratic values, mutual respect, and robust people-to-people ties.
“This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda both countries have committed to,” Jaiswal said, reaffirming that India continues to engage with Washington on trade matters.
Meanwhile, US President Trump has consistently criticized India’s trade practices, calling it America’s “most tariffed partner” and describing the trade relationship as a “one-sided disaster.” However, some of Trump’s own tariff measures have faced setbacks, with a US appeals court ruling several of them “illegal.”
