India seeks US energy imports amid Trump’s pressure to cut Russian oil

India is exploring increased oil and gas imports from the United States following pressure from President Donald Trump to reduce its reliance on discounted Russian crude.

In response to Trump’s criticism over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, New Delhi says it aims to diversify its energy supplies.

According to media reports on Thursday, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) is actively seeking new suppliers while continuing to buy Russian oil, which remains a key component of its import portfolio.

MRPL said that while Russian crude offers significant cost advantages, the company is also evaluating alternative sources to ensure supply stability and economic efficiency.

Indian refiners have benefited substantially from discounted Russian oil since the imposition of Western sanctions on Moscow.

India to increase Russian oil imports despite US threats: Report

New Delhi has moved to increase its Russian oil imports in September despite threats of unprecedented tariffs by the US.

Earlier reports said Indian refiners aimed to increase their purchases of crude oil and natural gas from the United States, while simultaneously increasing Russian oil imports.

In the meantime, Trump claimed on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally assured him that his country would stop buying Russian oil. “There will be no oil. He’s not buying oil.”

Trump said the stop of Russian crude purchases will take place “within a short period of time.”

India should take a page from Iran’s playbook in dealing with the US

India must deal with the US the way the Islamic Republic of Iran has, says a veteran Indian journalist, noting that the tariff fallout is a sign of “diplomatic miscalculation.”

In August, Trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on imports from India, citing New Delhi's Russian crude purchases at the time as the trigger. India is the second biggest buyer of Russian oil after China.

India's foreign ministry said on Thursday that New Delhi's top priority was to safeguard the interests of Indians. Foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi's main objective was to match global suppliers with Indian consumers' energy demands, and to achieve this task, New Delhi pursued a two-pronged energy policy.

“Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions,” Jaiswal explained.

Jaiswal pointed out that broadening the scope of India's energy deals with the US could help New Delhi in preventing energy supply disruptions and align with Washington’s push to reduce global dependence on Russian oil.

He added that Trump showed interest in increasing energy cooperation and talks on that were underway.

Trump and Modi had agreed in February to finalize the first tranche of a trade deal by the fall; however, the negotiations were temporarily suspended after five formal rounds of talks when Trump expressed dissatisfaction over India’s continued purchasing of Russian oil.

Trump accused Modi of helping Russian President Vladimir Putin in funding the war in Ukraine.

Agarwal said that a team of Indian government officials was in the US trying to reach a trade deal to include energy purchases. “In discussions we are in, we have indicated very positively that India as a country would like to diversify its portfolio as far as energy imports are concerned. That’s the best strategy for a big buyer like India.”

Meanwhile, oil stock prices rose on Thursday after Trump announced Modi had pledged to him that his country would stop purchasing Russian oil.

The oil prices rose 1 percent from a five-month low.

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