Once again, Peter Navarro, Business Advisor to US President Donald Trump, has leveled unfounded accusations against India. Navarro linked the Ukraine war directly to India's crude oil purchases from Russia. He claimed that peace in Ukraine lies through New Delhi.
In a Bloomberg TV interview on Wednesday, Navarro stated, 'Indians are quite arrogant in this matter, saying it’s a matter of sovereignty, and they can buy oil from anyone, anytime.'
On platform X, through a long Twitter thread, Navarro attempted to justify US tariffs with one-sided arguments and made several accusations against India.
Navarro insisted it’s not just about India’s unfair trade; it’s about cutting off the financial lifeline India provides to Putin's war machine.
He wrote that while US consumers buy Indian goods, India imposes high tariffs and other measures, preventing imports from the US. India uses US dollars to buy cheap Russian oil.
Indian refineries, in collaboration with their major Russian partners, operate and sell the refined oil in the black market, earning significant profits internationally. In this manner, Russia amasses large amounts of cash to fund its war against Ukraine.
Disregarding India's energy needs, Trump’s trade advisor Navarro alleged that before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian oil constituted less than 1% of India’s imports. Today, it exceeds 30%. India procures more than 1.5 million barrels of oil each day.
He claimed this spike isn’t driven by domestic demand. He argues it’s driven by Indian profiteers, and there’s a violent cost in terms of bloodshed and devastation in Ukraine.
In his following tweet, Navarro wrote that India's hefty oil lobby has transformed the largest democracy into a grand refining hub for the Kremlin and a laundering machine for oil money. Indian refiners buy cheap Russian oil, process it, and export fuel to Europe, Africa, and Asia, all while hiding behind neutrality to avoid sanctions.
Navarro claims India now exports more than 1 million barrels of refined petroleum daily, amounting to over half of its imported Russian crude.
The revenue benefits India's politically connected energy moguls and directly feeds Putin's war fund.
While the US pays for weapons for Ukraine, India financially aids Russia, imposing some of the highest tariffs globally on American goods, causing losses to US exporters.
Our trade deficit with India stands at $50 billion, with them utilizing our dollars to purchase Russian oil.
Navarro dismisses the ambitions clashing in the Ukraine war, NATO's role, and American political maneuvers, challenging geopolitical truths with fabrications.
Navarro accused India of making substantial profits off Russian oil while Ukrainians die.
Strongly worded against India, he wrote that it doesn't stop there. India continues purchasing Russian weapons, simultaneously demanding US companies transfer sensitive military technology and establish plants in India, labeling it a strategic free ride.
The Biden administration, Navarro claims, has largely ignored this lunacy, whereas President Trump confronts it. He advocates a 50% tariff on India, with 25% for unfair trade and 25% for national security.
If the world’s largest democracy, India, desires treatment as a strategic partner by the US, it must behave accordingly. The road to peace in Ukraine lies through New Delhi.
Starting August 27, the US imposed a 50% tariff on India. Several organizations allege this US tariff could impact India’s $48 billion export sector.
