🇷🇺⛽️🇮🇳India’s Oil Lifeline: Russia Emerges as Top Crude Supplier

In 2024, Russia supplied 1.80 million barrels of crude oil per day to India, making up 36% of the country’s total imports. With a daily national import volume of approximately 5 million barrels, India now ranks among the world’s largest oil buyers—and Russia has become its most critical supplier.

This transformation marks one of the most significant energy shifts in recent geopolitical history. After losing access to European markets due to sanctions, Russia rapidly redirected its oil exports eastward. India, driven by its need for stable and affordable energy, stepped in as a willing and strategic partner.

Russian crude often arrives at discounted prices, giving India fiscal flexibility while ensuring consistent supply. Iraq follows at 21%, Saudi Arabia at 13%, and the UAE at 9%. The United States, once considered a rising player in India’s energy mix, contributes only 3%—a sharp contrast to its geopolitical influence.

But this partnership goes beyond barrels and percentages. For Moscow, India offers a resilient and expanding outlet for energy revenues, supporting a key sector of its economy. For New Delhi, the relationship secures energy access without compromising sovereignty or falling into alignment with any single global bloc.

The Russia–India energy axis is evolving into a pragmatic alliance, driven not by ideology but by mutual economic benefit. As global supply chains fragment and energy security becomes central to national policy, such bilateral corridors gain importance.

India’s stance signals a new kind of diplomacy—one based on transactional logic and multi-vector independence.

Can this model redefine global energy politics in an era of shifting alliances and sanctions?#AMAGE