India Seeks Weekly Disclosure of Russian, U.S. Oil Purchases Amid Trade Talks with Washington

India has asked domestic refiners to submit weekly reports on crude imports from Russia and the United States, according to sources cited by Reuters, as New Delhi looks to present verified trade data to Washington during ongoing negotiations for a potential trade deal. The Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), under the oil ministry, has requested the updates on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office to ensure “timely and accurate” figures are available when questioned by U.S. officials, the sources said. This is the first time refiners have been asked to share such data on a weekly basis, although the information normally appears in monthly customs reports.

The move comes as India’s Russian oil purchases face scrutiny from the U.S., which has linked the issue to broader trade discussions after previously doubling tariffs on Indian goods. While India emerged as the biggest buyer of discounted Russian crude following the Ukraine war, Western governments argue that Moscow’s oil revenues help fund its military campaign. Despite pressure, New Delhi has defended its reliance on Russian oil as essential for energy security, even as negotiations with Washington have struggled to reach a breakthrough.

Government officials and industry sources said refiners have not been formally instructed to reduce Russian crude imports, but they expect volumes to fall below 1 million barrels per day in the coming months. Russian oil flows to India have already declined due to tighter Western sanctions, dropping to around 1.2 million barrels per day in December from a peak of 2 million in June. At the same time, India is expected to increase purchases of U.S. crude, with analysts noting that energy trade has become a key factor in Washington’s negotiations with New Delhi.

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright