White House Senior Counselor Peter Navarro accuses India of fueling Putin’s war economy by refining and reselling Russian oil, warns of tough Trump tariffs on trade, and calls for accountability in the decade-long Russia collusion scandal. He also backs expanded tariffs on steel and aluminum to protect U.S. industries and highlights Trump’s role as a peace leader.
Peter Navarro Slams India’s Role in Funding Putin’s War Economy
Washington, D.C. – White House Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing, Peter Navarro, has sharply criticized India’s growing reliance on Russian crude oil, accusing New Delhi of effectively helping fund President Vladimir Putin’s war machine. Speaking in an exclusive televised interview, Navarro framed India’s actions as not only harmful to the United States and Europe but also directly undermining global peace efforts.
Peter Navarro argued that the perception of India needing Russian oil to sustain its domestic economy is “flat-out wrong.” He pointed out that before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India bought virtually no oil from Russia. But once the war began, Indian refiners quickly partnered with Russian suppliers to secure steep discounts on crude oil. According to Navarro, these barrels are then refined and resold at premium prices to markets in Africa, Asia, and even Europe, generating over a million barrels a day in revenue that goes straight back to Moscow.
“This is not about India keeping the lights on,” Peter Navarro said. “It’s profiteering. Russian refiners are in bed with Indian refiners, and the result is that U.S. and European taxpayers wind up paying more to support Ukraine in this war. That’s insanity.”
Peter Navarro’s comments highlight growing tensions between Washington and New Delhi over energy and trade. He emphasized that India’s high tariffs and non-tariff barriers already hurt U.S. jobs and growth, and coupling those policies with Russia-linked oil trade creates what he called a “Kremlin laundromat for crude.”
He issued a stark warning: “Donald Trump will not hesitate to impose high tariffs on India to stop them from buying Russian oil and to break down unfair trade barriers. That’s the only way to deal with profiteering.”
Trump’s Peace Push and India’s Role
Peter Navarro also linked the issue directly to broader peace negotiations, praising former President Donald Trump as “the most incredible peace president ever seen.” He recalled Trump’s success in uniting European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in high-level talks.
“There are many roads to peace, and one of those roads runs through New Delhi,” Navarro stressed. “If India stopped buying Russian oil tomorrow, it would go a long way toward forcing Putin to say yes to ending this war.”
Despite that, Peter Navarro admitted India does not appear ready to change course, which could bring it into direct conflict with Trump’s trade agenda if secondary sanctions and higher tariffs are enforced.
Expanding Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum, and Other Products
Beyond oil and energy, Peter Navarro discussed the Commerce Department’s decision to expand Trump’s 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs, raising duties on more than 400 products, including cranes, appliances, unmanned aircraft systems, and heavy equipment parts. These tariffs, now set at 50%, are being called a crackdown on loopholes that allowed foreign producers to sidestep earlier restrictions.
Peter Navarro explained the tactics foreign producers used: “Before the tariffs, steel and aluminum were dumped into the U.S. market. After Trump put tariffs in place, producers in Brazil, Russia, and China started converting raw steel and aluminum into downstream derivative products to evade duties. This was a strategic game.”
He said the administration’s new measures are designed to prevent that evasion and achieve the goal of keeping U.S. steel and aluminum industries at 80% or higher capacity utilization, vital for national security. Navarro noted that several foundries shut down during the Biden years and described the industries as being “on life support.” Reviving them, he insisted, was central to Trump’s trade vision.
Weaponization of Intelligence and the Russia Hoax
The conversation also shifted to political accountability, with Navarro weighing in on Tulsi Gabbard’s move as Director of National Intelligence to strip security clearances from 37 current and former intelligence officials accused of manipulating intelligence in the Russia-Trump collusion saga.
Peter Navarro recalled living through what he called “ten years of hoaxes,” starting with the Steele dossier in 2016, which he said was greenlit by FBI agent Walter Giordina. According to Navarro, Giordina was also linked to “Crossfire Hurricane” and other operations such as “Crimson River,” which falsely accused Trump’s campaign of receiving $10 million from Egypt.
“These were lies that destroyed lives,” Navarro said. “They smeared Trump associates, they smeared Jeff Clark, John Eastman, and others, and it was all part of a fishing expedition. Whistleblowers have even alleged Giordina wiped his hard drive to cover his tracks.”
He praised Senator Chuck Grassley for exposing these abuses and cited whistleblower documents that suggest years of corruption and cover-ups.
Navarro pointed to other attempts to undermine Trump, including the emoluments clause investigation, the Mueller probe, and most recently the so-called “fake electors” controversy. He argued that all of these episodes reflected the same “deep state” actors trying repeatedly to bring Trump down.
Call for Full Accountability
Navarro ended with a strong demand for full accountability across the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as intelligence officials like James Comey, James Clapper, John Brennan, and others. He said the Department of Justice’s weaponization unit under Ed Martin is finally exposing the truth.
“Every time they got in trouble, they threw out another hoax,” Navarro said. “It went from Russia collusion to January 6. This was all about silencing Trump and his movement.”
He also confirmed he will soon release a detailed article on Breitbart connecting these threads, calling it a “blockbuster” that will show the continuity of false operations from 2016 to today.
Conclusion
Navarro’s interview underscored three major themes: India’s contested role in global energy markets, Trump’s aggressive trade policies aimed at protecting U.S. industries, and the long-running controversies over the Russia hoax and intelligence manipulation. His warnings about India’s oil trade with Russia and his defense of Trump’s tariff expansion signal an uncompromising approach as the administration reasserts its trade and national security priorities.