Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said it has “no reason” to believe that India has changed its stance on purchasing Russian crude oil, adding that the trade serves the interests of both countries and helps support stability in the global hydrocarbons market, news agency PTI reported.
In her weekly briefing, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said, “We have no reason to believe that India has changed its position on buying Russian hydrocarbons. India’s purchase of Russian hydrocarbons benefits both countries and helps maintain stability in the international energy market.”
India’s merchandise imports from Russia fall
Her remarks came days after government data showed that in January 2026, India’s goods imports from Russia declined sharply, dropping 40.48% to $2.86 billion from $4.81 billion in the corresponding month a year earlier. The reduction in imports was mainly due to the Indian refiners cutting their purchase of Russian oil, Hindustan Times reported. Of the total merchandise imports from Russia, crude accounted for approximately 80%. This marks a stark reversal from last year, when imports surged to a high in April 2025 following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs.
The Indian refiners recently issued a statement saying that they have cut down their imports of Russian oil. On 9 January, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said in a post on X, responding to a media report, that the company was not anticipating any deliveries of Russian crude. Reliance has a refining capacity of over 68 million tonnes per year.
Trump tariffs on Indian goods
The Trump administration imposed a 50% tariff on India, of which 25% was an additional tariff, in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Trump and members of his administration also accused India and PM Modi of fuelling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while India continued to defend its crude oil purchases. After the imposition of punitive tariffs, India’s imports of Russian crude fell to $3.32 billion in September, a roughly 30% decline from April 2025 levels.
The US claims India has stopped purchasing Russian oil
Her remarks come in the backdrop of Washington’s claims that New Delhi agreed to halt its purchase of Russian oil, which Donald Trump said as he announced a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with India. Commenting on the claims made by Trump, Zakharova said there is nothing new in the claims made by Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and added that Washington has arrogated to itself the right to dictate to independent nations.
Following a recent phone conversation between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two sides agreed to reduce US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from the previously announced 50%. More recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that India had agreed to end its purchases of Russian oil. His remarks came shortly after New Delhi reiterated that its energy decisions would continue to be driven by national interests.
While Washington has on several occasions claimed that India will stop its Russian oil imports, New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied that it no longer procures Russian crude oil.
This is not the first time that Russia has accused Washington of attempting to stop India and other countries from purchasing Russian oil and said that Washington was using a wide range of “coercive” measures, including tariffs, sanctions, and direct prohibitions.