Under American pressure, India has reduced the purchase of crude oil from Russia. US President Donald Trump punished India by imposing a 25% secondary tariff on buying Russian oil, increasing the tariff burden on India. China tops the list of Russian oil buyers. While countries like Japan, Turkey and the European Union (EU) still buy large quantities of Russian oil, the US only put pressure on India to stop buying Russian oil.
Did American pressure work?
Due to American pressure, India has reduced the purchase of oil from Russia. Russian oil imports declined significantly in the last week of October. US sanctions on Russian oil companies have reduced oil supplies to India. US sanctions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil reduced the supply of Russian oil to India. In the week ending October 27, India’s average crude oil imports from Russia stood at 1.19 million barrels per day. Whereas last week it was 1.95 million barrels per day.
Russia is giving huge discounts, but no buyers
After reduction in oil purchases by India, Russia has further increased its discount on crude oil. The price of Russia’s key Ural crude has reached its highest discount to Brent crude in a year. It is now about $2-4 cheaper per barrel. According to Reuters, major Indian refineries like Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), Mangalore Refinery, HPCL-Mittal Energy and Reliance Industries have reduced their oil purchases from Russia.
offer of a muslim country
The reduction in India’s oil purchases from Russia has become a big opportunity for many countries. Saudi Arabia has reduced the prices of crude oil to attract countries like India and China to buy crude oil. According to a Bloomberg report, Saudi Arabia has cut the price of its oil supplied to Asia for December. Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, Saudi Aramco, has cut the price of Arab Light crude grade by $1.20 per barrel. Aramco, the world’s largest oil supplier, has cut prices for December delivery by $ 1.2-1.4 per barrel. Prices for Asian refineries have been cut by $1 per barrel, while prices for North American buyers have been cut by $0.5 per barrel. Prices for north-western Europe remain unchanged. These cuts are an effort to attract Indian refineries. India imports 85% of its oil needs. A huge market like India is an important attraction for any country.
Increase in oil purchases from America
Following the decline in oil imports from Russia, India has also increased its oil purchases from the US. According to the data, oil purchases from the US reached an all-time high in October. According to a report by research agency Kpler, India bought an average of 593,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the US in October 2025, compared to 207,000 barrels per day in September. This represents a three-fold increase in oil purchases from the US. Overall, while US pressure has increased the pressure on India-Russia oil relations, it has also opened up new options.
