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India Ready to Replace Russian Oil Amid US Sanctions Threat, Says Oil Minister Puri
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
India is confident it can meet its oil needs through alternative sources if supplies from Russia are affected by secondary sanctions, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India Hardeep Singh Puri said, according to Reuters on July 17.
His comments came just hours after US President Donald Trump warned he would sanction buyers of Russian exports if Moscow fails to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine within 50 days.
“I'm not worried at all. If something happens, we'll deal with it,” Puri said at an industry event in New Delhi. “India has diversified the sources of supply and we have gone, I think, from about 27 countries that we used to buy from to about 40 countries now.”
Additionaly, Puri told Reuters that India can replace Russian imports with supplies from emerging producers like Guyana, as well as established exporters such as Brazil and Canada.
Russia remains India’s top oil supplier, providing around 35% of the country’s imports between January and June, according to Reuters estimates citing industry sources. Other major suppliers include Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States.
Nearly half of India’s Russian oil imports in the first half of 2025 were purchased by private refiners Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy. But if Russian supplies are disrupted, Indian Oil Corp is prepared to revert to its pre-war sourcing strategy, when Russian oil accounted for less than 2% of India’s imports, said A.S. Sahni, the company’s chief, speaking to journalists at the event.
Earlier, the US President Donald Trump has given Russia a 50-day ultimatum to reach a peace agreement over the war in Ukraine, warning that failure to comply will trigger broad new tariffs.
At a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, Trump expressed his “disappointment” with Russian President Vladimir Putin over stalled negotiations. He noted that he had anticipated a deal two months ago but now sees little sign of progress.
