{"id":16252,"date":"2025-12-03T04:06:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T04:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roydadnaft.ir\/English\/?p=16252"},"modified":"2025-12-03T04:06:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T04:06:36","slug":"india-to-slash-russian-oil-imports-by-50-amid-u-s-sanctions-squeeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roydadnaft.ir\/English\/16252\/","title":{"rendered":"India to Slash Russian Oil Imports by 50% Amid U.S. Sanctions Squeeze"},"content":{"rendered":"

RoydadNaft – <\/a><\/span>\u00a0India is set to halve its imports of Russian crude oil as new U.S. sanctions on major Russian energy giants take full effect, a former top diplomat said, though both nations are scrambling for workarounds to keep some discounted barrels flowing despite the mounting pressure from Washington.<\/p>\n

The move comes in the wake of U.S. Treasury sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil, which kicked in on November 21, forcing Indian refiners and banks to pull back sharply to avoid secondary penalties. 0 Kanwal Sibal, a former Indian foreign secretary, told local media that purchases from Russia have already begun tapering, with a roughly 50 percent drop on the horizon \u2013 though limited spot-market deals could sustain a trickle of supply. 8<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will gradually reduce buying oil from Russia. The reduction has already started and will continue. The cut will probably be around 50 percent, but some oil will still come,\u201d Sibal said in remarks published by Business Today. 0 He added that Indian firms, both state-run and private, along with banks, are wary of U.S. reprisals, prompting a diversification of supply sources. \u201cRussia is aware of this situation,\u201d he noted, hinting at ongoing bilateral efforts to navigate the restrictions.<\/p>\n

The sanctions have already triggered a post-deadline plunge, with December arrivals projected to plummet to around 1 million barrels per day (bpd) from November\u2019s five-month peak of 1.855 million bpd \u2013 a level that represented over a third of India\u2019s total crude imports. 1 5 Analysts at Kpler, which tracks tanker movements, attribute the November surge to frantic pre-deadline stockpiling by refiners like Reliance Industries and state giants Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp. 1 Some forecasts even warn of a temporary dip as low as 800,000 bpd before volumes stabilize through indirect channels. 1<\/p>\n

India\u2019s pivot away from Russian oil \u2013 which ballooned from under 1 percent of its imports in 2021 to nearly 40 percent this year amid post-Ukraine invasion discounts \u2013 underscores the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive use of tariffs and sanctions as leverage in trade talks. 6 Half of the 50 percent U.S. tariffs on Indian goods stem directly from New Delhi\u2019s Russian energy purchases, sources say, complicating negotiations even as global oil surpluses loom. 2 3<\/p>\n

While Nayara Energy \u2013 part-owned by sanctioned Rosneft \u2013 vows to stick with Russian grades at around 400,000 bpd, most buyers are eyeing alternatives from the U.S., Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, with U.S. imports already hitting a four-year high in October. 7 9 As Putin prepares for a December summit in New Delhi, the oil spat risks broader ripples in the strategic partnership, though experts doubt a full cutoff: \u201cAs long as broader secondary sanctions aren\u2019t applied, India is likely to continue importing\u2026 through more indirect routes.\u201d 5<\/p>\n

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