India increases Russian oil imports to up to 2.5 million barrels per day

India has increased its imports of Russian oil to approximately 2–2.5 million barrels per day, Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said in an interview with News18.

“In February 2026, we imported 1.05 million barrels a day from Russia. It has now gone up to 2-2.5 million,” he said.

Responding to a question about Western pressure on India to limit purchases of Russian oil, Puri said there had been no ban on buying oil from Russia.

“We were never told not to buy Russian oil. Let’s be very clear. There were two entities that were sanctioned, and if any entity is sanctioned, the purchases are done not by the government, but private companies,” he explained.

Commenting on US sanctions exemptions related to Russian oil introduced amid the conflict in the Middle East, Puri said they have no impact on India.

By Jeyhun Aghazada