- By Nidhi Giri
- Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:16 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri countered US President Donald Trump's Trade Advisor Peter Navarro’s 'laundromat' jibe, stating that India has not broken rules during oil trade with Russia, rather it has stabilised markets and kept global prices in check.
Navarro made a caste-based remark during an interview with Fox News on Monday, accusing the Brahmins of the country for profiteering "at the expense of the Indian people". The White House adviser also referred to New Delhi as a "laundromat for the Kremlin". He called out India for enabling trade imbalances and geopolitical alliances that run against US interests, justifying the decision to levy a 50 per cent tariff on the country's imports.
Hardeep SIngh Puri rejected claims of profiteering in a signed article for The Hindu. He stated that India has long been the world's fourth-largest exporter of petroleum products, well before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and its export volumes and margins have remained broadly the same.
"Some critics allege that India has become a 'laundromat' for Russian oil. Nothing could be further from the truth," he wrote, as quoted by PTI.
Last week, Navarro accused India of profiting from Russian oil.
"India's Big Oil lobby has turned the largest democracy in the world into a massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin. Indian refiners buy cheap Russian oil, process it, and export fuels to Europe, Africa, and Asia - shielded from sanctions under the pretence of neutrality," Navarro stated in a series of posts on X.
"It (Russian oil) is under a G-7/European Union price cap system deliberately designed to keep oil flowing while capping revenues," he said. "There have been 18 rounds of such packages, and India has complied with each one,” said Hardeep Singh Puri as he countered Navarro.
He went on to assert that every transaction by India has been legal.
"Every transaction has used legal shipping and insurance, compliant traders and audited channels. India has not broken rules. India has stabilised markets and kept global prices from spiralling," he asserted.
