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White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro accused India of playing a “role in the bloodshed” in Ukraine by importing Russian oil, calling it a “laundromat for the Kremlin.”
White House trade counselor Peter Navarro speaks to reporters (Photo: AP)
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro on Friday claimed India had a “role” in the bloodshed, in reference to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, as he defended Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on India.
He also asserted that India did not need Russian crude oil and that the complete understanding of the same was a “refining profiteering scheme” and a “laundromat (self-service laundry) for the Kremlin”.
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As Navarro responded to reporters on a question of the additional 25 per cent tariffs set to come into effect on August 27, he said, “India doesn’t appear to want to recognise its role in the bloodshed, it simply doesn’t. It’s cosying up to (Chinese President) Xi Jinping.”
Also speaking in reference to his August 18 piece in the Financial Times, Navarro said, “By the way, I wrote that article in the FT, just to deal with the propaganda that the Indian government is making. They don’t need the (Russian) oil. It’s a refining profiteering scheme. It’s a laundromat for the Kremlin.”
“I love India. (Prime Minister) Modi is a great leader, but please, India, look at your role here in the global economy is. What you’re doing right now is not creating peace. It’s perpetuating the war,” the White House trade advisor said.
In the FT article, Navarro had called on India to stop buying Russian crude oil, accusing the Asian giant of undermining international efforts to isolate Vladimir Putin’s war economy.
He had also described India’s dependence on Russian oil as “opportunistic,” adding that if India “wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the US, it needs to start acting like one.”
“In effect, India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,” Navarro said in the op-ed.
Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in July. A few days later, he imposed additional 25 per cent tariff, taking the total to 50 per cent, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil.
Navarro’s remark came even as Republican leader Nikki Haley, a day before, had opined that the United States’ priority should be to reverse the “downward spiral” in ties with India.
She also stressed that New Delhi must be treated as a “prized free and democratic” partner.
Haley said that few objectives are more critical to the Trump administration’s foreign policy goals of “outcompeting China and achieving peace through strength” than putting “US-India relations back on track”.
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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