Trump aide Peter Navarro claims India's 'Brahmins profiteering' from Russian oil trade
Sharpening his attack on India, Peter Navarro alleged Delhi is laundering Russian oil, enabling profiteering by Brahmin elites, and destabilising global order
In another bizarre take on India-Russia oil ties, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro accused India of laundering Russian oil and claimed that Brahmin elites were profiteering at the expense of the country’s ordinary citizens. He defended the Trump administration’s 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, linking them to New Delhi’s continued oil trade with Moscow.
In an interview with Fox News, Navarro sharpened his attack on India, warning that Prime Minister Modi’s closeness to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping was destabilising global order.
'Brahmins benefitting'
Accusing India of being the “maharaja of tariffs” with the highest tariffs in the world, he alleged that refined Russian oil exported by India helps fund Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“They export us a bunch of stuff. So, who gets hurt? Workers in America, taxpayers, Ukrainians. Modi is a great leader. I don't understand why he is getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when India is the biggest democracy in the world," he added.
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Further, he added that he wanted to make it clear to Indian people what is going on here. “You have got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people, and we want that to stop," he asserted.
Modi's visit to China
Navarro's comments is coinciding with Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, his first visit to China in seven years. In China, Modi met Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
Peter Navarro, the key figure behind the 50 per cent tariffs imposed on Indian imports, previously criticised New Delhi for its energy trade with Russia, alleging that it was “funding" Moscow’s war in Ukraine. And said that the world’s third-largest democracy "should act like one".
Calling the Ukraine conflict "Modi’s war", Trump's close aide alleged that India's oil trade with Russia funnels money straight into "Vladimir Putin's war chest".
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"India now exports over 1 million barrels a day in refined petroleum — more than half the volume of Russian crude it imports. The proceeds flow to India's politically connected energy titans — and directly into Putin's war chest," he had said in a post on X.
Western hypocrisy
Meanwhile, India has responded by calling out Western “hypocrisy”, noting that the US and EU continue to buy Russian energy while criticising India for doing the same.
According to Indian officials Europe still buys Russian gas and the US still imports Russian uranium. India acted responsibly, followed global frameworks, and prevented prices from spiralling.