‘India a laundromat for Kremlin’: Trump trade advisor targets New Delhi over Russia ties, vows doubling of tariffs – US News

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro launched a fresh attack against India on Thursday — accusing it of being a “laundromat for the Kremlin”. The remarks came days after the Donald Trump aide accused New Delhi of “cozying up to both Russia and China” in an opinion article. He also suggested that India could see its US tariffs double by next week amid continued purchase of Russian oil.

India does not need Russian oil: Trump aid

Navarro told reporters at the White House that it was “nonsense” to suggest India needed to buy Russian oil and warned about additional tariffs by next week. He also claimed that New Delhi “did not want to recognise its role in the bloodshed” amid the Ukraine war.

“There is a general perception that India needs Russian oil to power its domestic economy. That’s just wrong. Back when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022…India did not buy virtually any oil (from Russia)…maybe like 1%. There was a surge in oil purchases by India immediately after Russia invaded,” he had alleged hours earlier during an interview with Fox News.

Navarro also reiterated earlier claims that the road to peace “ran through New Delhi”. He had previously accused Russian refiners of colluding with their Indian counterparts.

India stealing US jobs, stunting trade with unfair practices Navarro

The top Trump aide also accused India of “stealing American jobs” and stunting trade with “unfair practices” during his interview on Wednesday.

“Russia offers these refiners a steep discount on the crude. And then they partner with Indian refiners to sell the refined products at premium prices to Africa, Asia, and Europe. That funds the war machine. There is over a million barrels a day…” he alleged.