‘Brahmins profiteering’: Trump trade adviser’s latest jibe at India over Russian oil; defends tariffs

Peter Navarro (File photo)

US President Donald Trump’s advisor Peter Navarro renewed his criticism of India, accusing the country of indirectly funding Russia’s war in Ukraine through discounted oil purchases—and claiming that Brahmins are profiting at the expense of Indians.“Look, Modi’s a great leader. I don’t understand why he’s getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when he’s the biggest democracy in the world. So I would just simply say to the Indian people: please, understand what’s going on here. You’ve got Brahmans profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop. Yeah, and we’ll be watching that closely,” he said during an interview with Fox News.Defending the US stance after he was questioned on justification for 50% tariffs on India, Navarro further said, “Before Putin invaded Ukraine, India didn’t buy Russian oil to speak of—very, very small amounts. What happened? Now, Russian refiners provide discounts, India refines it, and then sells it at a premium to Europe, Africa, and Asia. It fuels the Russian war machine.”Additionally, the Trump aide revived his “laundromat for the Kremlin” jibe at India, arguing that American taxpayers are indirectly funding Ukrainian defense as a result. He also highlighted India’s high domestic tariffs: “25% of the 50% is because India is the Maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. They won’t let us sell to them. So who gets hurt? Workers in America, taxpayers in America, Ukrainians in cities getting killed by Russian drones.“On China, Navarro remained optimistic about ongoing trade negotiations, noting that the US maintains tariffs exceeding 50 per cent. He said the November 10 deadline is realistic, describing high tariffs as “a good thing” for US leverage.Navarro has made multiple jabs at India as the latter refuses to budge on ceasing trade with Russia.

‘Modi’s war’

The Trump administration, earlier this month, ramped up attacks on India for buying Russian oil, with Navarro characterizing the Russia-Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war,” and cautioning New Delhi about getting close to Beijing and Moscow.“India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, okay? Act like one… side with the democracies…(instead) you’re getting in bed with the authoritarians,” Navarro had said, just hours after 50% tariffs on India went into effect.