Russia remains the South Asian nation’s biggest crude supplier, the government’s press office has said

India does not need “permission” from the US or anyone else to purchase Russian oil, its government has said in a statement, cited by local new outlets. Russia has remained the South Asian nation’s biggest crude oil supplier despite external pressure, the governemnt added.

The statement came in the backdrop of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announcing that Washington will allow India a 30-day waiver to buy Russian crude to stabilize global energy markets amid the conflict with Iran.

Global oil prices have surged by more than 30% as the war approaches the one-week mark and the Strait of Hormuz – a vital energy chokepoint through which about one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies pass – remains closed.

“India has never depended on permission from any country to buy Russian oil,” the government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) said, as quoted by NDTV. The statement added that New Delhi would not be relying on “a short-term waiver” for such purchases. Neither had it been affected by previous US attempts to make it abandon Russian energy imports, the statement said. “India is still importing Russian oil even [through] February 2026, and Russia is still India’s largest crude oil supplier,” the PIB said.

Source: RT - Daily news