India’s top refiner refutes claims of resuming purchases of Russian oil
Recent reports had alleged that several tankers carrying a combined 2.2 million barrels of Russian oil were en route to a major refining complex on India’s western coast. These claims were based on ship-tracking information and suggested that the company had restarted limited purchases to support domestic refining operations.
In a statement issued Monday, the refiner firmly rejected the allegations, calling them “blatantly untrue.” The company clarified, “Reliance Industries’s Jamnagar refinery has not received any cargo of Russian oil at its refinery in the past three weeks approx. and is not expecting any Russian crude oil deliveries in January.”
The denial comes amid continued restrictions imposed by Washington on Russia’s energy sector. In October last year, the US government introduced sanctions targeting state-controlled oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil, describing the measures as part of broader efforts to pressure Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. These steps required international companies, including refiners in India, to phase out dealings with the two firms by November 21. The sanctions also extended to dozens of their subsidiaries operating inside Russia.
Despite these constraints, Reliance and Rosneft had previously entered a long-term agreement in 2024 for the supply of 500,000 barrels of oil per day.
Russia has remained India’s largest source of crude oil since 2022, accounting for roughly 36% of the country’s total imports. In August, US President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil and arguing that such trade was enabling Moscow to sustain the Ukraine conflict.
Russia has repeatedly argued that sanctions and tariffs imposed on its trading partners violate their sovereign rights. Indian officials, for their part, have rejected external criticism of their energy sourcing, emphasizing that procurement decisions are guided by national interests, even as the country continues to expand economic ties with the United States.
Industry assessments had previously indicated that India’s imports of Russian crude were expected to remain stable in December, despite the sanctions placed on Moscow’s two largest oil producers.
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