Why does India keep buying Russian oil under US pressure?
What happened. India continued to import substantial quantities of Russian oil in September 2026, despite pressure from the United States to reduce them.
After the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, sanctions led Russia to sell oil and fertiliser to India at a discount.
India's crude imports from Russia rose from about USD 1.5 billion in 2019 to about USD 53 billion in 2024.
India refused to accept the Western price cap on Russian crude.
In 2025 US officials accused India of financing the war, and in late 2025 sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil cut India's purchases from those firms.
In early 2026 some Indian refiners halted purchases while India worked toward a trade agreement with the US, and in April 2026 India expected the US to extend a waiver on Russian oil.
Understanding. From our lens, India treats oil as a question of price and supply, not of alignment. Pressure has mainly changed which companies India buys from. Volumes fell in 2025 but remain very large, and India is careful to protect its talks with the US at the same time.
Benefits
IndiaLower-cost crude for a large importer. (our reading)
Constraints
IndiaSanctions on named Russian firms restrict which cargoes Indian refiners can take.
IndiaUS pressure has been linked to India's trade talks with Washington.