Explore Business Standard
India on Friday said it is closely following developments relating to a proposed American legislation that seeks to impose up to 500 per cent tariff on countries procuring Russian crude oil. India and China are among a handful of countries which are procuring a significant volume of crude oil from Russia. US Senator Lindsey Graham, the author of the bill, said this week that President Donald Trump has green-lighted the proposed legislation. "We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing here. "Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known." "In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people," he said.
A parliamentary committee has flagged India's heavy dependence on crude oil imports and rising geopolitical risks as major challenges for the country, and urged the government to step up diversification of supply sources and strengthen risk management mechanisms. In its report tabled in Parliament last week, the Public Undertaking Committee noted that India imports nearly 89 per cent of its crude oil requirements, making the country vulnerable to global disruptions arising from conflicts, sanctions, civil unrest in oil-producing nations and disruptions in key shipping routes such as the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Recent events, including the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in West Asia, have highlighted the fragility of India's energy supply chain. The committee recommended that Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) and state-run oil companies intensify efforts to diversify crude oil sourcing both geographically and contractually, bolster strategic petroleum reserves and ..
India, a sovereign nation, is free to buy oil from sources it considers beneficial, the Kremlin said on Monday, while expressing confidence that New Delhi will stick to the policy of ensuring its economic interests. On August 6, the US imposed additional 25 per cent tariffs on India for its purchase of oil and petroleum products from Russia. At the end of August, US tariffs on imports of Indian goods and services were increased to 50 per cent. "India, being and remaining a sovereign nation, carries out foreign trade operations and purchases energy resources where it is beneficial for itself," the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in the wake of last Friday's Summit talks between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Speaking after his talks with Prime Minister Modi, the Russian leader assured that Moscow will remain India's reliable energy supplier. "And, as far as we understand, our Indian partners will continue this line to ensure
US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, along with the EU's ban on refined products derived from Russian crude, are unlikely to materially dent the margins or credit profiles of India's state-run oil marketing companies, Fitch Ratings said. The ratings agency warned, however, that the eventual impact will hinge on how long the sanctions last and how strictly they are enforced. Russian crude made up about a third of India's oil imports between January and August 2025, and its discounted rates have been a key boost to OMC profitability. Fitch expects the companies to adhere to sanctions, though some refiners may continue sourcing unsanctioned Russian barrels. Traditionally reliant on Middle Eastern oil, India significantly increased its imports from Russia following the February 2022 Ukraine invasion. Western sanctions and reduced European demand made Russian oil available at steep discounts. As a result, India's Russian crude imports surged from under 1 per cent to nearly 40 per cent of
India, the second biggest buyer of Russian oil, spent as much as 2.5 billion euros on purchases of crude oil from Moscow in October ahead of new sanctions being slapped on Russian entities, a European think tank said. India's spend in October was unchanged from 2.5 billion euro spent on buying Russian oil in September. India remained the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in October behind China, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). On October 22, US imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, two of the largest oil producers in Russia, to cut off Kremlin's resources for funding Ukraine war. The sanctions have resulted in companies like Reliance Industries, HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd halting imports for now. Russia shipped 60 million barrels of crude oil in October, with Rosneft and Lukoil together accounting for 45 million barrels. "India remained the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, ...