New Delhi:
Russia on Wednesday said that India is free to purchase crude oil from any country, pushing back against claims by US President Donald Trump that New Delhi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil as part of a recently signed trade deal with Washington.
The Kremlin clarified that Russia is not India’s only crude supplier and stressed that New Delhi has long pursued a strategy of diversifying its oil imports, describing the situation as routine rather than a policy shift.
India currently imports around 1.5 million barrels of Russian crude per day, even after Trump imposed 25 per cent punitive tariffs on Indian goods, according to global trade data provider Kpler. India is the second-largest buyer of Russian oil, accounting for over one-third of the country’s total crude imports.
“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,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
He was responding to US claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to switch India’s crude oil purchases from Russia to the United States and potentially Venezuela.
No Formal Communication From India: Kremlin
A day earlier, Peskov said that Russia had received no official communication from India regarding any decision to stop buying Russian oil, underlining the absence of formal confirmation from New Delhi.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry echoed the sentiment, asserting that hydrocarbon trade between India and Russia remains mutually beneficial.
“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. We are ready to continue close cooperation in this area with our partners in India,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing.
Russian business radio Kommersant FM also pointed out that, unlike Trump, Prime Minister Modi made no reference to any agreement on halting Russian oil imports during recent announcements.
How India Became a Major Buyer of Russian Oil
Until 2021, Russian oil accounted for just 0.2 per cent of India’s crude imports. However, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western nations cut back purchases, prompting India—the world’s third-largest oil importer—to emerge as the largest buyer of discounted Russian crude.
India imports nearly 88 per cent of its crude oil requirements, which are refined into fuels such as petrol and diesel, from overseas sources. About one-third of these imports currently come from Russia.
At its peak, India was importing over 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude. This fell to about 1.3 million bpd in December, a level that is expected to remain broadly stable this month.
However, Trump last year imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, among the highest globally, including 25 per cent levies linked to India’s purchases of Russian energy. Following these measures, India’s Russian crude imports dropped to around 1.1 million bpd in the first three weeks of January, down from 1.21 million bpd in the previous month and over 2 million bpd in mid-2025, according to Kpler data.
Why India Cannot Fully Replace Russian Crude
Energy experts caution that a complete shift away from Russian oil is neither simple nor cost-effective for India.
Igor Yushkov, a leading expert at the National Energy Security Fund, said Indian refiners cannot fully substitute Russian crude with US oil.
“The American shale oil they export is light grades, similar to gas condensate. Russia, on the other hand, supplies relatively heavy, sulfur-rich Urals crude. This means India would need to blend US crude with other grades, which incurs additional costs. A simple substitution won’t be possible,” Yushkov told news agency PTI.
He added that Russia typically exports 1.5 to 2 million barrels per day to India—volumes the US would struggle to replace.
“America won’t be able to cover that volume. So, it appears Trump is trying to project the trade deal as a victory fully aligned with US demands,” Yushkov said.
Recalling past disruptions, Yushkov noted that when Russia redirected supplies to India in 2022, it cut production by 1 million barrels per day, pushing oil prices up to $120 per barrel and driving US gasoline and diesel prices to record highs.