Today, it supplies 35–40 per cent, making it India’s single largest source, after Western sanctions forced Moscow to offer deep discounts.

Western officials themselves had previously acknowledged that India’s purchases were stabilising global energy supplies. The Biden administration, for example, maintained that once Russian crude is refined into fuel products, it cannot legally be considered of Russian origin — a position reiterated by former US officials including ambassador Eric Garcetti and Treasury aide Anna Morris.

Navarro, however, dismissed that distinction, claiming that India’s refiners were “profiteering” while funnelling resources to the Kremlin’s war chest. He also linked the issue to America’s trade deficit with India — estimated at nearly $50 billion annually — and argued that Indian tariffs and non-tariff barriers punish US businesses.

His critique extended to defence ties, noting India’s continued reliance on Russian hardware and suggesting that technology transfers from the US could ultimately aid rivals. “India is now cosying up to both Russia and China,” he warned, arguing that this undermined trust in the bilateral partnership.

New Delhi has countered that its military purchases from Moscow are a legacy of decades-long ties and that its diversification towards the US, France and Israel reflects its evolving security needs. Officials privately contend that Washington’s targeting of India, while avoiding criticism of Europe and China’s own energy dealings with Moscow, highlights a double standard.

For the Trump administration, however, the tariffs are framed as both an economic corrective and a geopolitical tool. As Navarro put it: “This two-pronged policy will hit India where it hurts — its access to US markets — even as it seeks to cut off the financial lifeline it has extended to Russia’s war effort.”

With PTI inputs