Washington has been pressuring India to stop buying Russian crude oil as it wants to restrict Moscow’s exports to force it to stop its war with Ukraine. (Representational image)
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that it stands ready to continue close cooperation with India on hydrocarbons trade.
“We are convinced that India’s purchase of Russian hydrocarbons is mutually beneficial and contributes to maintaining stability in the global energy market. We stand ready to continue close cooperation in this area with our Indian partners,” the Ministry said in a statement on X.
Russia’s comments come as the United States has been continuously asserting that India has agreed to stop importing Russian crude oil.
Washington has been pressuring India to stop buying Russian crude oil as it wants to restrict Moscow’s exports to force it to stop its war with Ukraine.
Currently, there is no official confirmation from the Indian government on whether the world’s third largest crude oil consumer will stop its hydrocarbons trade with Moscow.
However, sources in the government have said that India will continue to buy Russian crude oil from non-sanctioned entities.
Sumit Ritolia, Kpler’s Lead Research Analyst for Refining & Modeling, said on Tuesday that the trade deal announced on February 2 (2026) is unlikely to result in a near-term reduction in India’s Russian crude imports.
“Russian volumes remain largely locked in for the next 8–10 weeks and continue to be economically critical for India’s complex refining system, supported by deep discounts on Urals relative to ICE Brent. Imports are expected to stay broadly stable in around 1.1–1.3 million barrels per day (mb/d) range through Q1 and early Q2 (2026), with any recent moderation offset by higher Middle East inflows rather than a structural shift away from Russian barrels,” he added.
Refiners are technically capable of operating without Urals, but a rapid disengagement would be commercially challenging and politically sensitive, making any policy-driven recalibration gradual rather than immediate, Ritolia had stressed.
Published on February 4, 2026
