Bloomberg: Record Russian oil flows to India ahead of Washington deadline

India is purchasing record volumes of Russian oil ahead of the expiration of a US license that currently permits such imports, Bloomberg reports.

According to data from analytics firm Kpler, daily oil inflows into India reached 2.3 million barrels in May, as the US authorisation allows the import of already shipped Russian crude.

Analysts say the figure could average 1.9 million barrels per day over the course of the month.

Russia regained its position as the largest oil supplier to India in March 2026, with exports reaching 2 million barrels per day — the highest level since June 2025.

Saudi Arabia ranked second in supplies to India with 606,000 barrels per day, followed by Angola at 330,000 barrels per day.

India’s total crude oil imports in March fell to 4.49 million barrels per day.

At the same time, China’s crude oil imports declined from 12.51 million barrels per day in February to 11.76 million in March.

Russia remained the largest supplier to China with a 20% share, followed by Saudi Arabia at 12% and Malaysia at 11%.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov