India’s Russian oil imports could drop as refiners led by Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. wait for official guidance from New Delhi after US President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had committed to stop taking the crude.
Several executives from state-owned Indian refiners—including Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL—said they were caught off guard by Trump’s comments on Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday (16 October 2025).
These executives, who asked not to be named as they are not authorised to speak publicly, said they hadn’t been briefed by New Delhi or any ministries on the matter. Three executives said Indian imports of Russian oil would drop in the short term.
India Russia oil imports
India’s Russian oil imports have come under scrutiny in recent months, after Washington DC singled out the trade as justification for hefty tariffs on the world’s fourth largest economy. In response, New Delhi has swung between striking a defiant tone and crimping the flows to comply with the US, as Modi faces domestic pressure not to cave to Trump.
Indian Oil, the nation’s largest refiner, and privately-held Reliance Industries Ltd. are now assessing their crude-buying practices, people with knowledge of the companies’ activities told Bloomberg News. They asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Press officials from Indian Oil, Reliance Industries, Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd., Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. didn’t respond to emailed requests for comment.