Russia States That Donald Trump is Unilaterally Declaring Oil Trade Success Before Confirmation from India

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Russia has stated that India remains free to purchase oil from any country following the India-US trade deal. Trade Minister Piyush Goyal also pointed out that India is expanding its energy sector to safeguard energy security.

Russia on India-US Trade Deal

Russia, on Wednesday (February 5, 2026), said India is free to buy crude from any country. The statement came after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "We, along with all other international energy experts, are well aware that Russia is not the only supplier of oil and petroleum products to India. India has always purchased these products from other countries. Therefore, we see nothing new here."

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Peskov also said Moscow has not received any official communication from India about ending Russian oil purchases. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, "India's purchase of Russian hydrocarbons is beneficial for both sides and helps maintain stability in the global energy market. We are ready to continue close cooperation with our Indian partners."

Full Replacement of Russian Oil: Possible or Impractical?

Energy analysts in Russia said that a full replacement of Russian crude is impractical for Indian refiners. Igor Yushkov of the National Energy Security Fund said US shale exports are largely light grades, while Russia supplies heavier, sulphur-rich Urals crude used by Indian refineries. "India would need to blend US oil with other grades, which raises costs. A simple substitution is not possible," he said.

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Yushkov added, "It looks like Trump is trying to project the talks as a win entirely on US terms," he said.

Closing Note

India buys about 88% of its crude oil, which is converted into fuels like petrol and diesel, from overseas, and one-third of it comes from Russia. Donald Trump had imposed steep tariffs on India over New Delhi's purchases of Russian energy. Following this, India's import of Russian crude oil dropped to around 1.1 million barrels per day in the first three weeks of January, from an average of 1.21 million bpd in the previous month and over 2 million bpd imports in mid-2025.

Recently, Trump announced a trade deal, cutting tariffs on Indian imports from 50% to 18%, effective immediately. Analysts predict that India might buy oil from Venezuela in the coming days.

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