Bessent’s remarks come on the heels of a scathing op-ed by White House adviser Peter Navarro in the Financial Times, accusing India’s energy giants of funneling profits from Russian oil “into Vladimir Putin’s war chest.

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.

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.

In his op-ed, Navarro reiterated the claim that India's purchase of Russian oil were funding the Russia-Ukraine war.

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said India's Russian oil buys are funding Moscow's war in Ukraine and must end, warning New Delhi is "cozying up" to Russia and China in an op-ed published Monday in the Financial Times.