Web Desk – November 13, 2025
Washington: India has virtually halted its purchases of oil from Russia under mounting pressure from the United States. According to foreign news agencies, the American pressure has succeeded, with India nearly completely stopping Russian oil imports due to fears of Western sanctions.
India has not yet placed orders for Russian crude for the next month, which is typically done by the 10th of each month. Five major Indian oil refineries have not issued any new purchase orders to Russia this month. The state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has also announced that it will only buy Russian oil from non-sanctioned suppliers.
It may be recalled that the United States has imposed a 50 percent tariff on India for buying oil from Russia. US President Donald Trump had stated that India is fueling the “war machine” in Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.
Following the US pressure, India had assured Washington that it would reduce its oil purchases from Russia in the future.
Recent developments indicate that Indian refiners, including Reliance Industries, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Mangalore Refinery, and HPCL-Mittal Energy—accounting for nearly two-thirds of India’s Russian crude imports this year—have refrained from new contracts for December deliveries. This shift comes amid US sanctions on Russian giants Rosneft and Lukoil, effective November 21, and heightened tariffs aimed at curbing indirect support for Moscow’s Ukraine conflict.
India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, had relied on discounted Russian barrels for 36 percent of its crude needs in 2025 so far. Refiners are now pivoting to US and Gulf sources, with IOC tendering for up to 24 million barrels from the Americas for early 2025 and Hindustan Petroleum securing 4 million barrels of US and Middle Eastern grades for January. Analysts note that while immediate halts are challenging due to existing contracts, imports could drop significantly from late November, potentially reshaping global trade flows.
