A report in The New York Times has spotlighted how Washington’s tone toward India’s Russian oil imports has shifted dramatically under President Donald Trump. Once seen as a strategic benefit for both nations—and the global economy—these purchases are now at the center of a trade standoff.
Following the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, India sharply increased imports of discounted Russian crude after European nations halted energy trade with Moscow. The NYT noted that this arrangement quietly benefited all parties: the Biden administration avoided destabilizing global oil markets, Europe indirectly secured refined fuels from India, and Indian refiners turned a profit.
Trump, however, is now using these same oil imports as leverage, pressing New Delhi amid stalled trade negotiations. The report suggested that while India could technically pivot away from Russian crude, the political optics of yielding to Trump’s demands would undermine Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image as a leader of a “proudly sovereign and democratic” nation.
This stance contrasts sharply with previous US policy. In 2024, then–US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti acknowledged that Washington had actively encouraged India to buy Russian oil under a price cap to prevent global energy prices from spiking. “They bought Russian oil because we wanted somebody to buy Russian oil at a price cap… it was actually the design of the policy,” Garcetti had said.
Analysts warn that if India halts its purchase of 1.7 million barrels per day—roughly 2% of the global supply—world crude prices could jump from the current $66 a barrel. Indian Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and the Ministry of External Affairs have both emphasized that these imports have played a stabilizing role in the market, with Puri telling CNBC that even the US had acknowledged their value.
New Delhi has also called out what it views as Western “double standards,” noting that both the US and the EU maintain certain trade ties with Russia even as they pressure India to cut its purchases.
As Trump raises tariffs and turns oil into a bargaining chip, the issue has become a litmus test for India’s strategic autonomy, balancing economic necessity with diplomatic resolve.
