No pressure from US to cut Russian oil imports, Indian oil minister says
USO•India has faced no U.S. pressure to reduce Russian crude imports, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. He said purchases depend on discounts and pricing, while Middle Eastern supplies have risen and India is expanding refining capacity.
1. Oil import decisions
Puri said he had not felt pressure from the United States to cut Russian oil imports. He said India’s Russian crude purchases are linked to discounts and pricing compared with other grades, and that refiners have reduced those imports as they buy more discounted Gulf oil.
2. Shifting supply
India received 0.2% of its oil imports from Russia before the Ukraine war, Puri said, and imports surged after the war began as Russian oil was discounted. Middle Eastern crude imports rose in September to pre-war levels, while refiners cut Russian purchases amid stiff competition from China. Puri also said India is expanding refining capacity to meet local demand and export commitments.
