Navarro’s latest anti-India rant: Our dollars are being used to bankroll Russia; says Biden ignored, Trump confronting it

US President Donald Trump’s Trade Adviser Peter Navarro continues his anti-India tirade linking India’s purchase of Russian oil to Moscow’s strikes in Ukraine. In a series of posts on X, Navarro accused India of propping up Russia President Vladimir Putin’s war machine with the trade surplus that New Delhi has in export-import with Washington DC.

This comes when India Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Japan on a bilateral trip, and China, where he will be holding talks with China’s Xi Jinping and Putin. This also comes against the backdrop of India’s recalibration of its foreign policy, emphasising its long-standing strategic autonomy approach.

What Navarro said

In his X posts, Navarro linked India’s rising oil imports from Russia to America’s trade imbalance and claimed this contributed to lives lost in Ukraine from Russian bombing. Navarro also criticised former US President Biden for “looking the other way,” while arguing that President Donald Trump is the only leader prepared to confront New Delhi.

1/ President Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian imports are now in effect.

This isn’t just about India’s unfair trade—it’s about cutting off the financial lifeline India has extended to Putin’s war machine. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/bwLaL9dBTv

— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) August 28, 2025

‘Our dollars are bankrolling Russia’

Navarro framed the issue bluntly: “We run a $50-billion trade deficit with India—and they’re using our dollars to buy Russian oil. They make a killing and Ukrainians die.”

According to him, the cycle is straightforward but devastating. Americans buy Indian goods, while New Delhi blocks US exports through tariffs and regulatory barriers. India then uses those US dollars to purchase steeply discounted Russian crude, which it refines and resells internationally allowing Moscow to keep its war chest full despite Western sanctions.

He claimed that India now imports over 1.5 million barrels of Russian crude per day, a staggering jump from less than 1 per cent of its oil imports before the Ukraine invasion.

In his anti-India rant, Navarro alleged the country has become “oil money laundromat for the Kremlin”. This is the second time he has used “laundromat” word in this context.

By continuing to buy Russian oil and weapons while demanding US technology transfers, he accused New Delhi of “strategic freeloading” at America’s expense.

India has repeatedly and strongly rejected the Trump administration’s charge, maintaining that the country will buy oil wherever it is available at cheaper rate. India has said its energy security is a top concern, and described the new tariffs as “unfair”.

India has also pointed out that while Trump imposed tariffs on Indian goods, the US continued to buy key minerals from Russia, and also highlighted that India is not the top buyer of Russian oil or gas.

Biden ’looked the other way’

Navarro saved his sharpest words for the previous administration: “The Biden admin largely looked the other way at this madness.”

In his telling, Washington’s tolerance of India’s balancing act between Moscow and Washington has undercut US credibility.

Trump’s 50 per cent tariff as ‘direct response’

In contrast, Navarro cast Trump’s newly announced tariffs on Indian imports as a decisive move: “President Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian imports are now in effect. This isn’t just about India’s unfair trade—it’s about cutting off the financial lifeline India has extended to Putin’s war machine.”

He defended 50% Trump tariffs as a two-pronged penalty —25 per cent for unfair trade practices, and another 25 per cent for national security concerns tied to Russia.

Road to peace ‘runs through New Delhi’

Navarro ended with a stark warning: “If India, the world’s largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the US, it needs to act like one. The road to peace in Ukraine runs through New Delhi.”

By tying India-US trade disputes to the fate of Ukraine, Navarro effectively framed India as a central player in the global standoff with Russia while positioning Trump as the only US leader ready to take action.