Daijiworld Media Network - Moscow
Moscow, Feb 5: Russia on Wednesday said India is free to source crude oil from any country of its choice, asserting that New Delhi’s efforts to diversify energy suppliers are neither new nor aimed at Moscow.
The clarification came after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil and instead import crude from the United States and possibly Venezuela as part of a trade understanding.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed suggestions that a change in India’s sourcing strategy would be unusual, noting that Russia has never been India’s sole energy partner.
“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 told reporters.
He added that Moscow has not received any official communication from India regarding an end to Russian oil purchases, reiterating a position he had expressed a day earlier.
Trade Minister Piyush Goyal had recently said India is broadening its energy mix to adapt to changing global conditions and ensure energy security for its citizens.
Backing continued bilateral cooperation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the hydrocarbons trade benefits both nations.
“India’s purchase of Russian hydrocarbons is beneficial for both sides and helps maintain stability in the global energy market. We are ready to continue close cooperation with our Indian partners,” she said at a briefing.
Meanwhile, Russian energy analysts cautioned that a complete replacement of Russian crude would be impractical for Indian refiners.
Igor Yushkov of the National Energy Security Fund said US shale oil is largely light-grade crude, while Russia supplies heavier, sulphur-rich Urals crude that is better suited to Indian refineries.
“India would need to blend US oil with other grades, which would raise costs. A simple substitution is not possible,” Yushkov said.
He added that Russia currently ships between 1.5 and 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude to India — volumes that the US would struggle to match. “It appears Trump is trying to portray the talks as a win entirely on US terms,” he said.
Yushkov also recalled that when Russia redirected supplies to India after Europe and the US reduced imports in 2022, Moscow cut output by around one million bpd, driving global oil prices to nearly USD 120 a barrel and pushing US fuel prices to record highs.
Trump had last year imposed steep tariffs on India, citing New Delhi’s purchases of Russian energy, which Washington argues help finance Russia’s war in Ukraine. Recently, he announced a trade deal reducing tariffs on Indian imports from 50 per cent to 18 per cent with immediate effect.
India imports nearly 88 per cent of the crude it refines into fuels such as petrol and diesel. Russian oil accounted for just 0.2 per cent of India’s imports until 2021, but following Western sanctions on Moscow after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, India emerged as the largest buyer of discounted Russian crude.
According to data from real-time analytics firm Kpler, India’s Russian crude imports fell to around 1.1 million bpd in the first three weeks of January, down from an average 1.21 million bpd in the previous month and from over 2 million bpd recorded in mid-2025.