Peter Navarro Justifies 50% Tariff on India, Accuses New Delhi of Profiting from Russian Oil

Washington DC , August 29 : White House Trade and Manufacturing Advisor Peter Navarro has once again targeted India, accusing it of fueling Russia’s war machine through large-scale purchases of discounted Russian crude oil. Justifying the Trump administration’s recent decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian imports, Navarro claimed the move was necessary to counter both “unfair trade practices” and “national security threats.”

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

According to him, the mechanism is simple: American consumers buy Indian goods, while India allegedly blocks U.S. exports through high tariffs. India then uses those earnings to buy cheap Russian oil, which its refiners process and resell in international markets for profits, indirectly financing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Navarro emphasized that before the war, Russian crude accounted for less than 1% of India’s oil imports. Today, it has surged to over 30%—nearly 1.5 million barrels per day. “India’s refiners have become oil money laundromats for the Kremlin,” Navarro alleged, adding that more than a million barrels of refined fuels are now exported daily by India to Europe, Africa, and Asia.

He also accused Indian energy companies of being politically connected and directly benefiting from this trade. “While the U.S. pays to arm Ukraine, India bankrolls Russia even as it slaps some of the world’s highest tariffs on U.S. goods,” he remarked, citing a $50 billion U.S. trade deficit with India.

Navarro further criticized India for buying Russian weapons while demanding American defense firms transfer sensitive military technology and set up plants in India. He described this as “strategic freeloading,” arguing that true strategic partners of the U.S. should not undermine Washington’s geopolitical interests.

Interestingly, Navarro made no mention of China, the world’s largest buyer of Russian crude, leading to criticism of selective targeting. Observers also noted that during the Alaska Summit earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that U.S.-Russia bilateral trade had risen by 20% under President Trump, underscoring contradictions in Washington’s narrative.

Navarro concluded by insisting that the road to peace in Ukraine “runs through New Delhi,” and that India must choose between being a “trusted U.S. partner” or a “benefactor of Moscow.”