'India not profiteering from Russian oil': Energy expert Anas Alhajji refutes Trump aide Navarro’s claims

Energy expert slams Trump aide Peter Navarro

Energy expert Anas Alhajji has pushed back against US accusations that India is reaping major profits by purchasing Russian crude and exporting refined products to Western markets.

In an interview with CNBC, Alhajji stated that the idea of India acting as a backdoor for Russian oil is “false.” He also pointed out that India's petroleum export volumes have remained largely consistent with pre-Ukraine war levels, challenging the narrative of significant profiteering.

"The US argument on India is false," Alhajji told CNBC. "If you look at Indian petroleum exports before and after Ukraine, it’s virtually the same. So, the idea that they are importing to export is not correct," the energy analyst added.

Alhajji's remarks came in response to White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who accused India of running a "profiteering scheme" by using discounted Russian crude to sell refined products abroad.

India has emerged as the world's second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China, but Alhajji stressed that exports have remained stable. "Correct. It's not a backdoor," he told CNBC. "What we've seen is simply a change in the direction of trade."

"Just for context, India was exporting those petroleum products to Asia, and they diverted that to Europe because the EU sanctioned itself from importing Russian petroleum products."

The analyst also questioned why India is being singled out when other countries maintain deep energy ties with Moscow. Turkey’s exports of petroleum products to Europe are higher than those of India. The United States itself increased imports from Russia by 23% in the first five months of this year and still buys uranium...So, I believe there is more to this story than just Russian oil," Alhajji pointed out.