Expert Says New US Sanctions Won't Affect India's Oil Purchases from Russia

New sanctions imposed by the United States are unlikely to affect India's purchases of oil from Russia, according to Professor Arvind Kumar of the School of International Relations at Nalanda University, in remarks reported by TASS.

Kumar said India would approach negotiations with the United States from what he described as a position of strength, expressing confidence that Washington would ultimately grant India a waiver allowing continued Russian oil purchases. His comments come amid ongoing US pressure on countries continuing to buy Russian energy exports following sanctions imposed over Russia's war in Ukraine.

India has remained one of the largest buyers of Russian crude oil since Western sanctions were first imposed on Moscow in 2022, with New Delhi defending its energy purchasing decisions as necessary for its domestic energy security and economic interests. Indian officials have repeatedly stated that the country's energy policy is guided by its own national interests rather than external pressure.

The Trump administration has pursued a range of sanctions and tariff measures targeting countries maintaining significant trade with Russia, part of a broader strategy aimed at increasing economic pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. India's continued purchases of discounted Russian crude have made it a repeated focus of such measures.

Kumar's assessment reflects a view among some Indian analysts that India's strategic and economic importance to the United States gives New Delhi leverage in negotiating exemptions from sanctions measures that might otherwise restrict its energy trade with Russia.

No confirmation of an actual waiver decision from US officials was included in the available report.