‘Brahmins profiteering’: Trump aide’s unusual claim on India’s Russian oil imports

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has accused India of “laundering” Russian oil to fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine, while claiming that “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.”

Speaking to Fox News, Navarro defended the Trump administration’s 50 per cent tariff hike on Indian goods, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proximity to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping threatened global stability.

“India is the maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. Who pays the price? American workers, U.S. taxpayers, Ukrainians. Modi is a great leader, but I don’t understand why the world’s largest democracy is siding with Putin and Xi,” he said.

He further alleged that “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of ordinary Indians,” urging New Delhi to rethink its trade choices. Navarro’s remarks coincided with Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where he met both Putin and Xi for the first time in seven years.

The Trump aide, architect of the tariffs on India, has repeatedly criticised New Delhi’s energy deals with Moscow, accusing it of financing Russia’s war and urging India to “act like a democracy.”