India Ignores Trump's Sanctions Warning, Sticks to Buying Russian Oil
Despite US President Trump's threat to impose sanctions on India, two Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday (August 2) that India will continue to import oil from Russia. An Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized that there is a "stable and time-tested partnership" between India and Russia.
Reuters reported that in addition to new 25% tariffs on Indian exports, Trump recently posted on the social platform Truth Social that India would face "additional penalties" for continuing to purchase Russian weapons and oil. On Friday, Trump told the media that, according to his understanding, India would stop importing oil from Russia.
However, the aforementioned Indian officials stated that there will be no policy changes at present.
One source pointed out, "These are long-term oil supply contracts," "it's not something that can be stopped immediately."
The other person said that it is reasonable for India to import oil from Russia, which helps control the rise in international oil prices, and the current price is still below the ceiling set by the EU. In comparison, crude oil from Iran and Venezuela is directly sanctioned.
The New York Times also cited two anonymous senior Indian officials on Saturday, stating that the Indian government has made no changes to its oil procurement policy.
The Indian Foreign Ministry did not respond to Reuters' inquiries about oil procurement intentions. However, at a regular press conference on Friday, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that there is a "stable and time-tested partnership" between India and Russia.
He added, "In terms of energy procurement, we consider market availability, supply conditions, and global situations comprehensively."
The White House did not respond immediately to this matter.
Russia Remains India's Largest Crude Oil Supplier
Since regaining power in the first half of 2025, Trump has made promoting a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia a priority of his foreign policy. He has recently expressed increasing dissatisfaction with Russian President Putin and threatened to impose tariffs as high as 100% on countries that continue to buy Russian oil unless Russia reaches a major peace agreement with Ukraine.
As the world's third-largest crude oil importer and consumer, India currently gets about 35% of its crude oil supply from Russia.
According to data obtained by Reuters, India imported an average of 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June 2025, an increase of about 1% compared to the same period last year.
However, despite the pressure from Trump, the Indian government has not yet changed its policy. According to information obtained by Reuters this week, due to a significant reduction in discounts from Russia starting in July, Indian state-owned refineries have suspended new purchases of Russian oil. This is the lowest price attractiveness of Russian oil since Western sanctions against Russia were imposed in 2022.
Four industry insiders confirmed to Reuters that Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) did not submit procurement applications to Russia in the past week.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839394250396938/
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