'US disappointed with India continuing to help fund Russia's war in Ukraine,’ says White House adviser

The White House has once again spoken about India’s trade with Russia. Economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the US is disappointed, noting that such trade may be helping to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We are disappointed that India is continuing to help fund Russia’s war in Ukraine,” he said.

Earlier, India had rejected as “inaccurate and misleading” the comments made by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who criticised New Delhi for procuring Russian crude oil. “We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously reject them,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Last week, Navarro accused India of being an “oil money laundromat for the Kremlin” and described its actions as “strategic freeloading,” referring to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian weapons while urging American defence firms to transfer sensitive military technologies and set up manufacturing plants in India.

“If India, the world’s largest democracy, wants to be treated like a strategic partner of the US, it needs to act like one,” he wrote in a series of social media posts.

Relations between New Delhi and Washington have been under strain since President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods. India described the US action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” questioning why it was singled out while China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil, faced no similar measures.

India has defended its purchase of Russian crude, stating that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics. After Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India turned to discounted Russian oil.

As a result, Russia’s share in India’s total oil imports rose from just 1.7 per cent in 2019-20 to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, making it India’s largest oil supplier.