Moscow’s crude supplies amid the Middle East conflict shows its reliability as an energy partner, says Andrey Rudenko
Russian crude supplies helped cushion India from an oil-supply shock after the conflict in the Middle East disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, showing Moscow’s reliability as an energy partner, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said.
Rudenko’s statement comes amid renewed scrutiny on India’s Russian oil purchases, and after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky called for choking off Russia’s oil trade under a new US sanctions law.
Indian refiners turned heavily to Russian crude after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which used to handle roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies.
The scale of the shift was most visible in March, when India’s Russian crude imports nearly doubled from the previous month to 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) and accounted for half of its oil purchases.
Gulf shipments to India simultaneously plunged 61% to 1.18 million bpd. Existing arrangements between Moscow and New Delhi helped “significantly mitigate” the consequences of disruptions to global energy trade, Rudenko told Russian news outlet NEWS.ru on Wednesday.
It showed Moscow could meet demand from its partners even in difficult geopolitical conditions, he added.
Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who is in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting, raised New Delhi’s concerns about the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
The law gives US President Donald Trump the authority to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top buyers of Russian oil and gas. India’s Russian oil purchases have eased from record summer levels as other supplies recovered, but Moscow remains India’s largest crude supplier.
Russian shipments stood at about 2.1 million bpd in August, and are tracking at around 1.9 million bpd in September, according to preliminary data from commodity analytics firm Kpler. India has maintained that securing affordable and dependable energy for its 1.4 billion people requires multiple suppliers, and warned against restrictions that could distort or constrict global energy markets.
Russia’s energy cooperation with India extends beyond oil. Rudenko pointed to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in southern India built in collaboration with Russia and said another site will soon be allocated for a Russian-designed nuclear facility.
