New Delhi: India’s Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has pushed back against White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s description of India as a Russian oil “laundromat,” insisting New Delhi acted within global norms and helped prevent a price shock in crude markets, according to his column in The Hindu referenced by multiple reports. Puri wrote that India’s purchases since the Ukraine conflict stabilized global supply and averted prices spiralling to $200$200 per barrel, rejecting allegations of profiteering tied to discounted Russian crude.
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Price cap context
Puri noted that Russian crude is governed by a G7/EU price-cap framework intended to maintain flows while limiting Moscow’s revenues, unlike the sanctions regimes on Iranian or Venezuelan oil, as cited in coverage of his column. He added that Indian refiners use legal shipping and insurance, compliant traders, and audited channels, underscoring that no rules were breached under international guidelines.
India’s refining and exports
The minister stressed India has long been among the top exporters of petroleum products, well before the Ukraine war, processing a diversified basket of crudes sourced globally, per reports summarizing his remarks. He argued that exports keep supply chains functioning and pointed out European buyers turned to Indian fuels after banning Russian crude, with volumes and margins broadly steady and “no question of profiteering,” according to the coverage.
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Navarro’s remarks and backlash
Navarro, in a Fox News interview, alleged that “Brahmins” were profiteering at the expense of Indians and portrayed India as enabling Russia’s war effort a claim he linked to justifying US tariff measures, as reported by Economic Times and others. The comments drew sharp political reactions in India, with Congress leader Pawan Khera telling ANI that such statements were “baseless” and urging the US to avoid unfounded claims, according to local media reports.
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