In an opinion piece for the Financial Times, Navarro — a close confidant of US President Donald Trump — claimed India had become a “global clearing house” for Russian crude, refining discounted oil and reselling it abroad while allowing Russia to pocket badly needed foreign currency.

White House counsellor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro has accused India of enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine by acting as a “global clearinghouse” for Russian oil, while continuing to block American exports with high tariffs.