In a sharp rebuke, former White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has accused India of “cozying up” to Chinese President Xi Jinping and continuing to trade in oil with Russia. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Navarro, a vocal critic of India’s stance on this issue, argued that New Delhi was not acknowledging its “role in the bloodshed in Ukraine.”
Navarro defended his recent opinion piece in the Financial Times, stating that he needed to counter what he called “propaganda” from India designed to elicit sympathy. He claimed that India did not need to purchase Russian oil, noting that before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, India’s purchase of Russian oil was “virtually” non-existent.
Navarro further backed President Donald Trump’s decision to double duties on Indian goods, labeling India a “laundromat for the Kremlin.” Navarro is widely seen as a key figure behind the Republican’s retaliatory tariff moves against various countries. While he has accused India of getting close to China’s leader, no additional tariffs have been imposed on China, despite it being the largest buyer of Russian oil.
This comes after Trump threatened a 50% tariff on Indian imports earlier this month, to which New Delhi responded strongly, arguing that the Trump administration was punishing India for actions that other countries were also taking in their own national interest.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently explained the different treatment for China, stating that China’s purchase of Russian oil has been “suboptimal.” He noted that before the invasion, 13% of China’s oil already came from Russia, and that figure has only increased to 16%. In contrast, Bessent said, India’s oil trade with Russia has surged to 42%, up from “less than 1 per cent” before the conflict. The deadline for Trump’s additional 25% tariff on India is set for August 27, with previously announced reciprocal tariffs already in effect.