Defending US President Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Thursday (local time) launched another fierce attack on India, saying imposing the levies is not just about the 'unfair trade', but cutting the financial lifelines extended by New Delhi to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
In a series of 'X' (previously Twitter) posts, Navarro explained how the India-Russia oil mathematics works, saying New Delhi is using dollars to buy discounted Russian crude. He said American consumers buy Indian goods while India keeps out US exports through high tariffs and non-tariff barriers.
"Indian refiners, with their silent Russian partners, refine and flip the black-market oil for big profits on the international market – while Russia pockets hard currency to fund its war on Ukraine," he said.
'Russian oil makes 30% of India's imports'
Before the beginning of the Ukraine war in February 2022, Navarro claimed Russian oil made up less than 1 per cent of India's total imports. However, that number has now increased to over 30 per cent, which is more than 1.5 million barrels a day. "This surge isn’t driven by domestic demand—it's driven by Indian profiteers and carries an added price of blood and devastation in Ukraine," he said.
The White House adviser alleged that the oil lobby in India has turned the "largest democracy in the world into a massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin". He claimed that Indian refiners are buying cheap Russian oil and selling it to Europe, Africa, and Asia.
'US has USD 50 billion trade deficit with India'
At present, India exports over 1 million barrels a day in refined petroleum, Navarro claimed. He said the US has a USD 50 billion trade deficit with India, and New Delhi is using dollars to buy Russian oil.
"While the United States pays to arm Ukraine, India bankrolls Russia even as it slaps some of the world’s highest tariffs on U.S. goods, which in turn punishes American exporters," he said, while adding that India keeps buying Russian weapons, but demands transfer of 'sensitive military tech' from the US.
"The Biden admin largely looked the other way at this madness. President Trump is confronting it. A 50% tariff—25% for unfair trade and 25% for national security—is a direct response," he said, "If India, the world's largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the U.S., it needs to act like one. The road to peace in Ukraine runs through New Delhi."
