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Escalating his sharp criticism of New Delhi, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Friday doubled down on accusations that India is helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through its crude oil purchases. Navarro, a key architect of President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, argued that the measures are not only about “unfair trade” but also aimed at cutting off Moscow’s “financial lifelines.” In a controversial move, Navarro also posted a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditating in saffron robes on the social media platform X, writing under it: “The road to peace in Ukraine runs through New Delhi.” Analysts and officials in New Delhi privately described the move as racially charged and inflammatory.

Navarro’s latest remarks come a day after he referred to the Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war,” sparking outrage among sections of India’s foreign policy community. He repeated his claim that Indian refiners were acting as a “laundromat for Kremlin oil money,” helping Moscow sustain its military campaign. Explaining what he called the “India-Russia oil mathematics,” Navarro said, “American consumers buy Indian goods while India keeps out US exports with high tariffs and non-tariff barriers. India uses our dollars to buy discounted Russian crude. Indian refiners, with their silent Russian partners, refine and flip the black-market oil for big profits on the international market — while Russia pockets hard currency to fund its war on Ukraine.”Navarro noted that before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian oil made up less than 1 per cent of India’s crude imports. Today, he said, it accounts for more than 30 per cent — over 1.5 million barrels a day.“This surge isn’t driven by domestic demand; it’s driven by profiteers. It carries an added price of blood and devastation in Ukraine,” Navarro alleged. “India’s Big Oil lobby has turned the largest democracy in the world into a massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin.”

India Defends Purchases, US Targets New Delhi Alone

New Delhi has consistently defended its decision to import Russian crude, arguing that it is essential to stabilise domestic energy markets and keep prices low. Officials also point out that the US and European sanctions regime itself allowed discounted Russian oil sales to continue under the G7’s USD 60-per-barrel price cap mechanism, which Washington had previously acknowledged. India is the only major economy to face what Trump has described as “secondary tariffs,” even though China remains the largest buyer of Russian crude. Navarro, however, made no reference to Beijing in his recent remarks.

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Beyond energy, Navarro also attacked India’s defense and trade practices. He accused New Delhi of continuing to buy Russian weapons while simultaneously demanding sensitive US military technology and manufacturing investment.“That’s strategic freeloading,” Navarro said. “India now exports over 1 million barrels a day in refined petroleum, more than half the Russian crude it imports. The proceeds flow to India’s politically connected energy titans and directly into Putin’s war chest. While the United States pays to arm Ukraine, India bankrolls Russia, even as it slaps some of the world’s highest tariffs on US goods.”The White House adviser further highlighted that the US runs a USD 50-billion trade deficit with India, alleging: “They make a killing and Ukrainians die. If India, the world’s largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the United States, it needs to act like one. The road to peace in Ukraine runs through New Delhi,” Navarro concluded.

 ALSO READ: 'Modi's War': White House Trade Advisor Links Russian Oil Purchase With Ukraine Conflict, Calls Indians 'Arrogant' | WATCH

Navarro’s racial undertone in targeting Modi, along with his fresh tirade on oil imports, has added further strain to already tense US-India trade relations. The comments come at a sensitive time as Prime Minister Modi is set to attend the SCO Summit in Tianjin, where he will share the stage with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The timing of Navarro’s remarks could complicate New Delhi’s balancing act between Moscow and Washington, just as India seeks to assert its role as a major global energy player and strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific.