Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro escalated criticism of India’s Russian oil purchases by alleging “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people,” while calling India “a laundromat for the Kremlin” and defending newly imposed U.S. tariffs of up to 50% on Indian imports that took effect days earlier. Navarro claimed Indian refiners buy discounted Russian crude, refine it, and resell at a premium abroad, asserting the trade “kills Ukrainians,” and questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s engagement with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping despite praising Modi as “a great leader”. The remark triggered backlash for invoking “Brahmins”, a casteist and conceptually muddled, with explainers noting “Boston Brahmins” historically referred to a U.S. elite, not India’s business class, underscoring how the framing sounded bizarre and ill‑fitted to India’s energy market structure. Indian officials and commentators reiterated purchases are guided by national interest and market stability, arguing the country has complied with global norms since 2022 while cushioning prices.