New Delhi: Russia has indicated that it has received no official communication from India regarding any plan to halt purchases of Russian oil, even as claims circulate about such a commitment being part of a recent trade understanding between India and the United States.
Moscow’s position comes after US President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with India, stating that tariffs on Indian goods would be sharply reduced in return for New Delhi stopping imports of Russian crude. According to the announcement, tariffs were brought down from earlier levels to eighteen percent, with India expected to shift its energy sourcing toward the United States and possibly Venezuela.
Russian officials, however, have maintained that no formal message or confirmation has been conveyed by the Indian government on this issue. They underlined that while Russia respects the nature of relations between India and the United States, it continues to place high value on its own long standing strategic partnership with New Delhi. Moscow has reiterated its intention to further deepen bilateral cooperation with India across sectors.
India is currently one of the largest buyers of Russian crude oil, importing roughly one point five million barrels per day. This accounts for more than a third of India’s total oil imports, placing the country among Russia’s top energy customers globally. New Delhi has consistently defended these purchases as vital for maintaining energy security, given its heavy dependence on imported oil to meet domestic demand.
Historically, India’s ties with Russia were anchored more strongly in defence cooperation than in energy trade. Russia supplied a major share of India’s military equipment, while its role in India’s oil basket remained limited. That equation changed after the conflict in Ukraine, when discounted Russian crude became available and India significantly increased its intake to stabilise supplies and manage costs.
Even in recent months, Russian leadership has publicly expressed readiness to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies to India despite mounting pressure from Western nations. Earlier expectations that India would substantially shift toward American oil and gas have also surfaced in the past, but those discussions did not result in a major realignment of India’s import strategy.
For now, the absence of any formal statement from New Delhi suggests that India’s energy policy remains unchanged, even as geopolitical and trade negotiations continue to evolve.
