White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has sharply criticized India's increasing reliance on Russian crude oil, describing it as opportunistic and accusing India of funding Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. Navarro highlighted that prior to the conflict, India sourced less than 1% of its oil from Russia, but this figure has surged to around 37-42% in 2025. He argued that India's oil lobby profits from buying cheap Russian crude and reselling refined products, labeling the country a 'laundromat' for Kremlin funds. Navarro warned that this behavior undermines efforts to isolate Russia and strains U.S.-India relations, particularly jeopardizing the sharing of advanced U.S. defense technology. He also indicated plans to double tariffs on Indian imports starting August 27 as a punitive measure. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed these concerns, emphasizing that some of India's wealthiest families have benefited from this arbitrage, generating approximately $16 billion in excess profits. Bessent described India's profiteering as unacceptable and stressed that India’s growing dependence on Russian oil contrasts with China's more modest increase from 13% to 16%. Following these U.S. actions, China publicly opposed the tariffs imposed on India, with Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong condemning the measures and affirming China's support for India. Navarro and Bessent's comments reflect escalating U.S. pressure on India to halt Russian oil purchases amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, framing the issue as a critical factor in geopolitical and trade relations.