US trade adviser Peter Navarro lashes out at Elon Musk after India-Russia oil post flagged on X

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, Peter Navarro, sparked controversy on Sunday after a post in which he accused India of profiteering from Russian oil imports was flagged and fact-checked by X.

In the post, Navarro alleged, “India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukranians. Stop taking American jobs.” He also reiterated claims from previous posts: “FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine.X users, through community notes, highlighted that India’s purchases of Russian oil were legal and aimed at energy security rather than mere profit.Navarro’s attacks on India have been consistent and often inflammatory. In previous posts, he referred to India as the “Maharaja of tariffs” and a “laundromat for the Kremlin”, and described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war”.

He also made a casteist remark, claiming, “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of Indian people,” which the Indian government promptly rejected. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen some inaccurate statements made by him. We reject them.”

One noted stated, “India’s Russian oil purchases are for energy security, not just profit, and don’t violate sanctions. While India has some tariffs, the US has a trade surplus with it in services. The US also continues to import certain commodities from Russia which is hypocritical.”