Kremlin firmly backs India’s sovereign right to buy discounted Russian oil, rejecting any third-party pressure
Russia continues to supply over 2 million bpd to India in 2025, accounting for 40-45% of the country’s crude imports
Both countries are scaling up national-currency payments and sanction-proof logistics to sustain record energy trade
The Kremlin on Sunday issued a strong defence of India’s right to purchase oil from whichever country it finds beneficial, in a clear message to the West amid fresh attempts to tighten the $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian crude.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “India is a sovereign nation and is completely free to buy energy resources from those suppliers and at those prices that it considers most advantageous for itself.” He described the rapid growth in Russian-Indian energy trade as “mutually beneficial” and stressed that Moscow sees no grounds for any third country to interfere in bilateral commercial ties.
Russia has emerged as India’s largest supplier of seaborne crude in 2025, regularly shipping more than 2 million barrels per day, roughly 40-45% of India’s total imports, at steep discounts to Brent. Indian refiners, both state-owned and private, have continued to lift record volumes even as some European nations and the US push allies to further restrict Russian oil revenue ahead of the next G7 price-cap review scheduled for early 2026.
Peskov also highlighted the expanding use of rupee-rouble settlement mechanisms and alternative shipping and insurance arrangements that have kept the trade flowing smoothly despite Western sanctions. “Both sides are constantly improving the payment infrastructure so that our cooperation only grows,” he added.
