India’s Energy Choices Are Sovereignty, Not Washington’s Charity
By Sanjeev Oak
Once again, Peter Navarro has chosen rhetoric over reason, branding India a “laundromat” for Russian oil. What he ignores is India’s sovereign right to energy security and strategic autonomy—an economic and geopolitical necessity Washington cannot dictate or diminish.
By framing India as a “laundromat” for Russian oil, Peter Navarro exposes not Indian policy flaws but America’s discomfort with a multipolar energy order. India is not laundering dollars—it is investing in autonomy.
When Peter Navarro, former White House adviser, accuses India of using “American dollars to launder Russian oil,” he is not critiquing trade flows. He is rehearsing Washington’s outdated script where India must act as a subordinate in America’s theatre of sanctions and tariffs. The problem is not India’s diversification—it is America’s inability to accept it.
“Energy sovereignty is not a crime. India will not apologise for buying cheap crude to shield its citizens from inflation.”
The Numbers Washington Ignores
Since the start of the Ukraine war, India has purchased more than 1.9 million barrels per day of Russian crude, up from virtually nothing in 2021. Far from a backdoor for Moscow, this has stabilized global oil markets by preventing sudden supply shocks.
India refines much of this crude and re-exports petroleum products to Europe—ironically, the very countries supporting U.S. sanctions. If anyone is “laundering,” the West is laundering its moral posturing while quietly depending on Indian refiners to keep their economies afloat.
Inflation vs. Lectures
At home, India has kept fuel prices in check, protecting nearly 1.4 billion citizens from the inflation spiral that devastated Europe and America in 2022–23. The Modi government used discounted Russian crude to avoid fiscal slippages, while maintaining foreign exchange reserves above $650 billion—a buffer against global shocks.
“Washington forgets: cheap oil for India means stability for the world. A destabilised India would drag global growth down with it.”
A Selective Memory in Washington
This is not the first time America has tried to police India’s energy policy. During Obama’s Iran sanctions regime, Washington hectored New Delhi to cut Iranian crude imports, ignoring India’s developmental needs. Under Trump, tariffs on Indian steel and aluminium were imposed in the name of “America First.” Now, Navarro recycles the same playbook—pressure India, expect obedience, call resistance “laundering.”
But India in 2025 is not India in 2010. It is the fifth-largest economy, projected to be the third by 2027, and a key swing power in global energy flows.
The Real “Laundromat”
If the U.S. wants to speak of laundering, it must confront its own contradictions. American LNG continues to flow to Europe at record profits, while U.S. oil companies quietly expand business with non-sanctioned Russian intermediaries. The West’s financial markets remain open to Gulf sovereign funds that partner with Russian firms.
“Washington launders its moralism daily—lecturing India while pocketing profits from the same global energy disorder it condemns.”
India’s Strategic Autonomy
New Delhi’s policy is guided by one principle: energy security for its people. By buying discounted Russian oil, India not only saves billions in import bills but also diversifies supply sources beyond volatile Middle Eastern geopolitics. Moreover, this autonomy underpins India’s strategic stance in the Indo-Pacific, where dependence on a single bloc would weaken its hand.
Beyond Washington’s Tariff Theatre
Navarro’s narrative reflects a deeper insecurity: that India is no longer a pawn but a player. Just as India resisted American pressure during the Cold War to remain non-aligned, it now refuses to be cornered in a new “oil Cold War.”
America’s mistake is to view India’s choices through a binary of loyalty and betrayal. But India is not playing betrayal—it is playing survival, development, and growth.
The Final Word
Peter Navarro calls India a laundromat. In truth, India is a powerhouse refinery—turning discounted oil into growth, stability, and even the fuel that Europe depends on. Washington can either adapt to this multipolar energy world or keep shouting from the sidelines.
India will not be dictated to. It will buy, refine, and prosper—on its own terms.