Navarro Condemns India’s Oil Purchases from Russia, Citing Financial Support for Putin

Former Trump advisor Peter Navarro has strongly criticized India’s trade relationship with Russia, specifically its crude oil purchases, as a means of supporting the Russian war effort in Ukraine. He asserts that India’s use of US dollars to buy discounted Russian oil is directly providing financial resources to Russia. Navarro highlights that the influx of money from Indian oil purchases is bolstering Vladimir Putin’s military capabilities. He explains that the practice involves Indian refiners buying cheap Russian oil, refining it, and exporting the refined products, allegedly bypassing sanctions in the process. Navarro claims that the profits are flowing into the hands of connected Indian entities and, ultimately, into Russia’s war efforts. He also draws attention to the US-India trade deficit and the imposition of tariffs by India on US goods. Navarro further criticizes India’s ongoing purchases of Russian weapons and its demands for sensitive military technology transfers from US firms. He blames the previous administration for not addressing these issues and indicates that these trade practices are strategically detrimental to the US’s interests.