Indian officials reiterated to Trump administration officials this week their position that New Delhi may curb Russian oil imports if trade is offset through the purchase of sanctioned Iranian and Venezuelan oil, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 25.
Sources familiar with the talks told Bloomberg that Indian officials suggested the trade-off in a meeting with U.S. officials, as countries participate in the 80th UN General Assembly in New York. The officials also stressed their concern that crude oil prices may grow if supply from Russia, as well as previously affected stocks in Iran and Venezuela, are cut off.
Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, India began to purchase cheaper Russian oil en masse after most Western nations halted trade relations. Since then, New Delhi, along with China, has become a primary purchaser of Russian oil exports.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Western allies, including the…
