
U.S. urged India to buy Russian oil already at sea to ease supply fears: Energy Secretary
The Hindu
The U.S. urges India to purchase Russian oil at sea to alleviate supply fears amid ongoing West Asia conflict.
The U.S. has urged India to buy Russian oil already floating at sea and redirect it to Indian refineries to “tamp down” fears of supply shortages and price spikes amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said.
However, the move, he said is a short-term, pragmatic effort to stabilise the market and did not signal any change in Washington's policy towards Russia.
In an interview to CNN on Sunday (March 8, 2026), Mr. Wright said he, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, had spoken to Indian authorities about buying Russian crude cargoes currently waiting to be unloaded at Chinese refineries.
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"India has been a great partner through this. I did call up the Indians, as did Treasury Secretary (Scott) Bessent, and said there’s a whole bunch of oil floating waiting to unload at Chinese refineries.
"Instead of having it wait six weeks to unload there, let’s just pull that oil forward, have it land in Indian refineries and tamp this fear of shortage of oil, tamp the price spikes and the concerns we see in the marketplace,” he said.

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