India has been importing Russian crude oil in large quantities, defying pressure from the United States and President Donald Trump. According to market tracker Kpler, India has imported an average of 2.2 million barrels of Russian oil per day so far in June, the highest in two years. This volume exceeds the combined daily average imports from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. In May, India had imported an average of 1.96 million barrels of Russian oil per day.
Fears of potential disruptions in oil supply from the Gulf region, amid the escalating Iran-Israel conflict in the Middle East, have prompted Indian companies to increase reliance on Russian oil. The situation intensified when Iran’s parliament announced the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route under Iranian influence through which most crude oil from the Gulf is exported.
India’s surge in Russian oil imports began in February 2022, following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. In response to Russia’s actions, the US, the European Union, and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow. Prior to the war, Russia’s share in India’s total crude oil imports was less than 1 percent. That share has since surged to around 40 percent.
India is currently the largest buyer of Russia’s Urals-grade crude oil, having purchased 80 percent of Urals exports so far in 2025. Private oil firms Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy are leading the imports. As of June 24, India had imported 241 million barrels of Urals crude. Reliance and Nayara together accounted for 45 percent of Russia’s total Urals exports. The share of Urals in Reliance’s overall crude imports has increased from 10 percent in 2022 to 36 percent this year. For Nayara, the share has jumped from 27 percent to 72 percent.
Meanwhile, public sector oil companies such as Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) continue to depend largely on oil supplies from the Gulf, Africa, and Latin America. These companies currently rely on crude from the United States as well. Reports indicate that they do not have long-term contracts with Russian suppliers. The discount on Russian oil for India has also narrowed, from $4 per barrel earlier to $2 now.
Amid this backdrop, the United States is preparing to introduce a new bill proposing a 500 percent import duty on countries like India and China that continue purchasing Russian oil in violation of US-led sanctions. The bipartisan bill is being introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, a Trump ally) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat).
The proposed legislation seeks to impose a 500 percent duty on goods exported to the US from countries that buy Russian oil, such as India and China. In response, the Indian government has reiterated that its stance on the Russia-Ukraine war remains unchanged. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier stated that this is not an era of war, reaffirming India’s independent foreign policy position.
