India’s litmus test in the import of Russian oil

US President Donald Trump's repeated claim that India will almost completely stop buying oil from Russia by the end of this year has made the issue a litmus test for India’s strategic autonomy. Even the EU, the largest buyer of Russian pipeline gas and LNG, has been urging India to stop purchasing Russian oi] and has even sanctioned an Indian company over its links with Russia. Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov'sassertions of mechanisms existing to minimise sanction risks in an interview with this newspaper must beread against the backdrop.

- Gulshan Sachdeva

Inrecent months, India and China together have purchased about 4 million barrels per day (mbpd) from Russia. Between April and September, India imported about 1.75 mbpd—roughly 36% of its total crude imports. Chinese companies, meanwhile, have been importing around 1.4 mbpd by sea, while Petro-China brings in an additional 900,000 barrels per day through pipeline.