India is free to buy crude oil from any country and its decision to diversify suppliers is not new, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, rejecting claims that New Delhi had agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil.
Responding to a question on US President Donald Trump’s assertion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian crude and shift purchases to the United States and possibly Venezuela, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said India has always sourced oil from multiple countries.
“We, along with all other international energy experts, are well aware that Russia is not the only supplier of oil and petroleum products to India. India has always purchased these products from other countries. Therefore, we see nothing new here,” Peskov said.
A day earlier, Peskov had said Russia had not received any communication from India indicating an end to Russian oil imports.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said hydrocarbons trade between India and Russia remains mutually beneficial and contributes to global energy market stability.
“We remain convinced that India’s purchase of Russian hydrocarbons is beneficial to both countries and helps maintain stability in the international energy market. We are ready to continue close cooperation with our Indian partners,” she said at a briefing.
Meanwhile, Russian business radio Kommersant FM noted that Prime Minister Modi had not referred to any agreement on stopping Russian oil imports, unlike President Trump.
Energy analyst Igor Yushkov of the National Energy Security Fund said Indian refiners cannot fully replace Russian crude with US supplies, as American shale oil is largely light-grade, while Russia supplies heavier, sulphur-rich Urals crude.
“India would need to blend US oil with other grades, which raises costs. A simple substitution is not possible,” Yushkov said, adding that Russia typically exports 1.5–2 million barrels per day to India — volumes the US cannot fully replace.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil needs. Russian oil accounted for a negligible share of India’s imports until 2021 but surged after Western sanctions on Moscow following the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
According to data from analytics firm Kpler, India’s imports of Russian crude fell to about 1.1 million barrels per day in the first three weeks of January, compared with an average of 1.21 million bpd in December and over 2 million bpd at their peak in mid-2025.
