India to still buy oil from Russia despite Trump threats, say officials
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
India to still buy oil from Russia despite Trump threats, say officials
Media reports on Friday had suggested India, a big energy importer, would stop buying cheap Russian oil. Trump later told reporters that such a move would be “a good step” if true. But official sources in India, quoted by the news agency ANI, rebutted Trump’s claim. They said Indian oil companies had not paused Russian imports and that supply decisions were based on “price, grade of crude, inventories, logistics and other economic factors” Russia is the top oil supplier to India, responsible for about 35% of its supplies. India says that as a major energy. importer it must find the cheapest supplies to protect its population against rising costs. The White House announced tariffs of 25% on all Indian goods, along with a penalty for buying arms and energy from Russia amid the war in. Ukraine. Trump has given an 8 August deadline for Vladimir Putin to stop the war or risk further sanctions on tariffs on countries that import Russian. oil.
Media reports on Friday had suggested India, a big energy importer, would stop buying cheap Russian oil. Trump later told reporters that such a move would be “a good step” if true.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia,” he said. “That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.”
However, official sources in India, quoted by the news agency ANI, rebutted Trump’s claim, saying Indian oil companies had not paused Russian imports and that supply decisions were based on “price, grade of crude, inventories, logistics and other economic factors”.
Trump’s remarks came a day after the White House announced tariffs of 25% on all Indian goods, along with a penalty for buying arms and energy from Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Trump has given an 8 August deadline for Vladimir Putin to stop the war or risk further sanctions on tariffs on countries that import Russian oil.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Indian state-owned refineries had suspended Russian oil purchases amid the tariff threats and narrowing price discounts.
But on Saturday, the New York Times cited two unnamed senior Indian officials who said there had been no change in Indian government policy related to importing Russian oil. One said the government had “not given any direction to oil companies” to cease buying oil from Russia.
“These are long-term oil contracts,” one of the sources said. “It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight.”
The sources cited by ANI said Indian oil refineries operated in full compliance with international norms, and that Russian oil had never been directly sanctioned by the US or EU. “Instead, it was subjected to a G7-EU price-cap mechanism designed to limit revenue while ensuring global supplies continued to flow.”
They added: “India’s purchases have remained fully legitimate and within the framework of international norms.”
The sources also noted that if India had not “absorbed discounted Russian crude combined with Opec+ production cuts of 5.8 mb/d [millions of barrels a day], global oil prices could have surged well beyond the March 2022 peak of US$137/bbl [a barrel], intensifying inflationary pressures worldwide”.
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Russia is the top oil supplier to India, responsible for about 35% of the country’s supplies. India says that as a major energy importer it must find the cheapest supplies to protect its population against rising costs.
On Friday, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said: “We look at what is available in the markets, what is on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances.”
Jaiswal added that India had a “steady and time-tested partnership” with Russia.
This partnership has been a point of contention for the White House, with Trump posting on Truth Social on 30 July that while India was “our friend”, it had always bought most of its military equipment from Russia and was “Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE – ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!”
In a second post, Trump added: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”
Ukraine’s military said on Saturday it had hit oil facilities inside Russia, including a refinery in Ryazan, causing a fire on its premises. The strike also hit an oil storage facility, a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory.
India Defies Trump’s Threats, Maintains Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Sanctions Push
India Defies Trump’s Threats, Maintains Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Sanctions Push. India will continue purchasing oil from Russia despite President Donald Trump’s escalating threats. India is the world’s third-largest oil importer, and Russia has been its top supplier since the Ukraine invasion began. Trump has criticized India’s ties with Moscow, writing on Truth Social that while India “is our friend,” it remains “Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China” He added: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care” The European Union recently sanctioned a major Indian buyer of Russian crude.
India will continue purchasing oil from Russia despite President Donald Trump’s escalating threats of U.S. sanctions, senior Indian officials confirmed, pushing back against claims that New Delhi had ended its Russian crude imports. The reaffirmation came just days after Trump warned of 25% tariffs on Indian goods and set an August 8 deadline for Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine or face broader penalties targeting countries importing Russian energy.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters Friday. “That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.”
However, officials cited by India’s ANI news agency and The New York Times denied any policy shift. One Indian government source said, “These are long-term oil contracts. It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight.” Another confirmed there had been “no direction to oil companies” to halt imports.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Friday, “We look at what is available in the markets, what is on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances.” He added that India has a “steady and time-tested partnership” with Russia, underscoring New Delhi’s view that its foreign policy decisions “should not be seen from the prism of a third country.”
Trump’s remarks followed earlier reports by Reuters that Indian state-owned refiners-IOC, HPCL, BPCL, and MRPL-had pulled back from Russian oil in recent days due to narrowing price discounts and tightening Western sanctions. But sources familiar with the plans said the pause was based on economics, not political pressure.
India is the world’s third-largest oil importer, and Russia has been its top supplier since the Ukraine invasion began. During the first half of 2025, India imported approximately 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil, about 35% of total supply, according to data reviewed by Reuters.
Trump has criticized India’s ties with Moscow, writing on Truth Social that while India “is our friend,” it remains “Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China.” In a second post, he added: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”
Indian officials reiterated that their purchases of Russian crude complied with global rules. “India’s purchases have remained fully legitimate and within the framework of international norms,” a source told ANI. They noted that Russian oil has not been directly sanctioned by the U.S. or EU, but instead subjected to a G7-EU price cap to curb Moscow’s revenue while preserving supply.
Officials also argued India’s imports helped stabilize global oil prices amid OPEC+ production cuts of 5.8 million barrels per day, preventing costs from surpassing the March 2022 high of $137 per barrel.
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Separately, Nayara Energy, a major Indian buyer of Russian crude partially owned by Rosneft, was recently sanctioned by the European Union. Reuters reported that Nayara’s CEO resigned and shipments were delayed as a result of the new sanctions. Despite these setbacks, broader Indian-Russian energy trade continues.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/02/india-buy-oil-russia-despite-trump-tariff-threats