Subhechcha Ganguly 
Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has accused India of acting as a “laundromat for the Kremlin” through its growing oil trade with Russia. Speaking to media, Navarro said India’s imports of Russian oil were “virtually zero” before the Ukraine war but have since surged to 30–35%, calling the argument that India “needs” Russian oil “nonsense.”
Navarro, who recently dubbed India the “Maharaja of tariffs,” claimed that the country’s refining of Russian oil is “a profiteering scheme” that fuels Moscow’s war effort. He warned that India’s purchases allow Russia to generate funds used to build weapons against Ukraine.
While stressing that he “loves India” and praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “a great leader,” Navarro urged New Delhi to reconsider its role in the global economy, saying: “What you’re doing right now is not creating peace. It’s perpetuating the war.”
His comments come just days before Donald Trump’s 50% tariff deadline on Indian imports. Trump had earlier announced a 25% tariff, later threatening to double it, citing India’s trade imbalance with the US and its continued purchases of Russian crude.
