'Nothing new in India’s oil strategy’: Russia says New Delhi free to buy crude from any country

Days after US President Donald Trump claimed that India had agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil, Moscow said on Wednesday that New Delhi remains free to buy crude from any supplier and that India’s efforts to diversify its energy sources are nothing new.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is aware that it is not India’s sole oil supplier. “We, along with all other international energy experts, are well aware that Russia is not the only supplier of oil and petroleum products to India. India has always purchased these products from other countries. Therefore, we see nothing new here,” Peskov said.

A day earlier, Peskov stated that Moscow had received no official communication from India regarding any decision to stop purchasing Russian oil. Russia’s foreign ministry also underscored that the hydrocarbons trade is beneficial for both India and Russia.

“We remain convinced that India's purchase of Russian hydrocarbons is beneficial to both countries and contributes to maintaining stability in the international energy market,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing. “We are ready to continue close cooperation in this area with our partners in India.”

Energy analyst Igor Yushkov of the National Energy Security Fund said it would be difficult for Indian refiners to fully replace Russian crude imports.

“The American shale oil they export is light grades, similar to gas condensate. Russia, on the other hand, supplies relatively heavy, sulfur-rich Urals,” Yushkov said, as quoted by PTI. “This means India will need to blend US crude with other grades, which incurs additional costs, meaning a simple substitution won't be possible.”

He added that Russia typically exports between 1.5 million and 2 million barrels of oil per day to India—volumes the United States would be unable to fully replace. “So, one gets the sense that Trump is simply trying to show that he won these trade negotiations and the deal was concluded entirely in line with US demands,” Yushkov said.

Trump has been pressuring India to end its purchases of Russian oil, accusing New Delhi of indirectly financing Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Last year, his administration imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian goods—among the highest globally—including a 25 percent levy linked to India’s imports of Russian energy.