Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s China visit to attend the SCO Summit and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro has once again hit out at India, calling the country “Maharaja of tariffs” and accusing it of fueling the Russian war in Ukraine.
Speaking to a news channel on Sunday, Navarro said, “India is nothing but a laundromat of Russia.”
He said that by purchasing the Russian Federation oil, India was helping Moscow in keeping the war in Ukraine going. Navarro claimed that Indian refiners were buying discounted Russian crude oil and exporting it to other countries at a premium.
“Well, the Russian refiners went in and got into bed with big oil India. Putin gives (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi a discount on the crude. They refine it and they ship it to Europe, Africa and Asia at a big premium and they make a ton of money,” he said.
Stressing the need to stop India’s purchase of Russian oil, the White House Trade Advisor said that Indians need to understand what is going on here.
“You got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop,” Navarro argued.
He further expressed his frustration with India’s growing bilateral ties with China and Russia following the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs by US President Donald Trump.
“I don’t understand why he is getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when he’s the biggest democracy in the world,” he added.
His latest remarks came as PM Modi is in China to attend the SCO Summit in Tianjin.
While Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, he is expected to meet Putin today.