White House trade adviser Peter Navarro accused India of being a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and said New Delhi does not need oil from Russia. “India doesn’t appear to want to recognize its role in the bloodshed. It simply doesn’t. It’s cozying up to Xi Jinping,” he said, adding that India doesn’t need the oil from Russia. “It’s a refining profiteering scheme. It’s a laundromat for the Kremlin. That’s the reality of that,” Navarro said. “I love India. Look, Modi is a great leader. But, please, please, India, look at what your role here is in the global economy. What you’re doing right now is not creating peace, it’s perpetuating the war,” Navarro said. “When you think about the tariffs we are putting in place — 25% because they cheat us on trade, 25% because of the Russian oil, I ask you what is the net impact on Americans? ” Navarro said. “They have higher tariffs, Maharaja tariffs, higher non-tariff barriers. We run a massive trade deficit with them, so that hurts American workers, hurts American businesses. Then they use the money they get from us when they sell us stuff to buy Russian oil, which is processed by refiners, and they make a bunch of money there. But then the Russians use that money to build more arms and kill Ukrainians, and so American taxpayers have to provide more military aid to the Ukrainians,” the trade adviser said.“That’s insane. And President Trump sees that chessboard beautifully, and you guys need to write about that. That’s what going on here. And in many ways, the road to peace runs through New Delhi,” Navarro told reporters. Navarro said he thinks the new tariffs on India will come into effect on August 27.
