Public sentiment is mixed but leans toward support for India's decision to continue oil imports from Russia amidst external pressures, particularly from the US. Many commenters express a strong sense of nationalism, rejecting foreign influence, while also expressing frustration regarding domestic fuel prices and not feeling the economic benefits from cheaper oil. The comments reveal a desire for India to maintain its sovereignty and prioritize its national interests despite apprehensions about long-term implications.

Indian government

US government

Russian government

This is like the 40th time since 2022 that news headlines have claimed India stopped buying Russian oil when in reality, India increased its Russian oil imports.

I don't know what more evidence we need that India is sticking with Russia no matter what. Now whether this is geopolitical (to compete with China on influence in Russia) or due to Russophilia or high-level corruption is another matter.

The question now is what to do. Is it time to cut off India from Western markets &amp; just bet that the India-China enmity will continue?

Still_There3603

What the fuck are we offering India in exchange? Why would India do that? Are we really at the point where we are so detatched from reality that we think a one billion+ population country will just follow our lead because we think we are in the moral right?

OkKnowledge2064

I don’t really understand what the West wants India to do. Until 2019, India got its oil from Iran, and the only reason India stopped buying oil from Iran was US sanctions. Now, it has to stop buying Russian oil because of Western sanctions. Buying oil from OPEC is really expensive, and we are not a rich country on a per capita basis. 

As much as I sympathise with the Ukrainian people and do not support this war. I think it’s unfair how Western countries want India to do so as they say because the war is in their neighbourhood. India is a volatile region too and is subjected to terrorist attacks that are funded by IMF bailouts and military aid. Thousands of Indian civilians died because of these attacks. America’s preference for Pakistan is going to push India towards Russia. In the past decade, India has been weaning off Russia by diversifying its military assets. India used to buy most of its military equipment from Russia now it’s diversified a bit by buying equipment from France, America, South Korea, and Israel. Russia's share of Indian arms imports went down by 50% in the last decade (I think).

Pixi_Dust_408

So that's all of this big dangerous economic war you were scared of when for more than three years you were saying that you can't impose sanctions against russian oil?

inokentii

I don’t understand the expectation some have that India needs to stop trading with Russia. Did we stop trading with Pakistan for their benefit? 

Russia s our enemy, but expecting the entire world to just follow us and handicap themselves for our benefit is just weird.

We can pressure them though, or offer a deal, but for free?

bukowsky01

forcing India's hand to do something against their national interests it's a silly move. India it's not EU. They don't give a damn.

venusFarts

If through some miracle Trump doesn't TACO with his secondary sanction/tariffs, the US market is not enough to scare off India and China without the help of Europe. For this to work, Europe needs to impose their own secondary tariff/sanctions too and shut China/India out of Europe market.

wizgset27

Why would India worry about what their colonial overlords want? They should be more interested in trading with Russia and China!

RefrigeratorDry3004

Thats ok. If India is ok with being Putin’s doggie in invading Ukraine, tighten up visa regs. Cut those F1 and h1b numbers just a bit more. I’m sure there are open slots at Krasnoyarsk State University.

I wonder if Pakistan could use some F-35’s?

MaisJeNePeuxPas

Trump seem to can't lil bro india like he did to EU which  is a wild thing considering our GDP is far less than EU. EU should have hold trump harder.

Mahameghabahana

[deleted]

HurrySweet4767

Since AI is Actually Indian, we cannot have a trade war with them. Otherwise who will drive the driverless Teslas ?

I_hate_ElonMusk

When USA and EUROPE completely stop trading with Russia, then you have a position of convincing others. Otherwise, face the reality.

Inside-Till3391

India doesn’t export than much to the US, $88 billion. India imports about $252 billion in oil. It’s worth it for India to ignore the US and to continue to buy cheap oil from Russia because it will save a lot more money buying cheap Russian oil than it will lose with higher US tariffs.

stewartm0205

Trump is delusional in believing he can bully every single countries with tax sanctions. Diplomacy exists for a reason.

SignificanceWild2922

Not quite sure what his plan was here, favorable treatment to Pakistan and remarks that sounded like taunts? Did he really think he'd simply strong-arm India after it? India has a history of this from the West, and its one thing it absolutely won't back down from.

The more I look at it, the more I realise that the current US administration doesn't have any well thought-out, grand plans, they're just fumbling around with everything they do.

The thing is, India is on the verge of a massive oil discovery in the Andaman Sea, provided its feasible, India's oil exports from Russia would've naturally tapered off once the infrastructure and oil rigs were put in place to exploit it.

But this might cause India to submit, sure. Not to the US though, as Pakistan seems to get be getting closer to the US, China might just take this opportunity for a realignment, Russia has been advocating for RIC's since forever, and so far, India had been actively throttling Chinese companies from entering India, BYD literally had to get through so many intentionally set-up roadblocks and obstacles just to put money into India. This can always change. India is different from most other emerging economies in that its majorly consumption driven. These tariffs will have a limited effect on the growth itself, but it sure will send a signal, and not a good one.

Old-Machine-8000

From an Indian perspective: what exactly is the US and the West in general offering in return for cutting ties with Russia? US has always sided with India's arch rival Pakistan until 1990s and has at best remained "neutral" since then when it realized India could be a more reliable military and trade partner in Indo-Pacific, all the while funding and arming Pakistan and turning a blind eye to Pakistan's support for terrorism against India. 

US and many NATO members (with the exception of France perhaps) refuse to sell defence equipment to India and/or share tech. They lecture India about "human rights" while there are innumerable human rights abuses in their own countries. And they wax eloquent about helping India grow its economy and reduce poverty while they sanction countries that India buys oil from (Iran, Venezuela and now Russia) without offering sufficient alternatives. And they don't explicitly support India when China repeatedly intrudes into its territory on the border, while expecting India to fight their battle against China in the Indo-Pacific. And India gets neither trade / investment guarantees nor energy supplies nor defence supplies / tech from the US and EU, who simply continue dragging their feet, offering feeble and wobbly support that changes every time there's a government change and lecturing India on poverty/human rights/blah blah.

So why should India give up its trade and defence relationship with Russia and turn pro-US or pro-West? Why should India kowtow to bullying tactics on trade and tariffs? What exactly is the US offering India, especially when Trump thinks India's $4 trillion economy growing at 7% is a "dead economy"?

disc_jockey77

There was hope for the pro-west treaties under Biden and Modi to flourish but I suppose Trump has some strange urge to bring about the Chinese century

OrangeSpaceMan5

Indian officials said on Saturday that they would keep purchasing cheap oil from Russia despite a threat of penalties from President Trump, the latest twist in an issue that New Delhi thought it had settled.

Mr. Trump said last week that as part of his latest round of tariffs, he would impose an unspecified additional penalty on India if it did not cut off its imports of Russian crude oil. On Friday, he appeared to echo reports of a recent dip in the arrival of Russian oil to India.

“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia,” he told reporters. “That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.”

But on Saturday, two senior Indian officials said there had been no change in policy. One official said the government had “not given any direction to oil companies” to cut back imports from Russia.

Mr. Trump did not say what the penalty would be if India were to defy his call to cut off Russian oil imports. Some officials and analysts have said that Mr. Trump’s focus on India’s purchase of Russian oil could be a negotiating tactic as India and the United States try to conclude the early phases of a bilateral trade agreement. China and Turkey, two other major importers of Russian oil, have not faced similar penalties.

Themetalin

Good, good! Let's see what Trump will actually do. Talk is cheap. If he wants to be taken seriously he has to back it up with actions. Otherwise the russians will devour him.

legitematehorse

India has a 1.4 billion population greater than US and EU combined so they need to do what’s right by their people. Especially when Russia was selling at a discounted rate. 

Plus EU don’t want to be seen as buyers of Russian oil on morality grounds- India buys Russian oil, processes it and sells it to EU, so now EU don’t look hypocritical. 

If you want to win over friends, threats and big words (tweets) will not do it- they are not 6 year olds, these are nations with thousands of years of history, a generally successful democracy. Get them across a table and talk your points out.

hinterstoisser

Until the West is fully on board full decoupling from China I am not sure why the West thinks India would or should act against Russia. The West enriched and strengthened Indias adversarial neighbor and can't be baffled they'd want to be in good graces of countries like Russia as a hedge.

Linny911

Why would India care what poo-poo pants says

Puzzleheaded-Fun7808

Trump is dumb. Europe's approach is much more sensible, because they don't want to stop Russian oil but rather make sure that is sold at a discount. Stopping Russian oil would be impossible and it would just raise prices, increasing Russian profits. The countries that buy Russian oil are definitely buying it at a discount, because they don't need to pay full market price since there is a smaller market for Russian oil. Furthermore, Russian oil is expensive to extract when comparing to Saudi Arabia. So, their margins are definitely getting squeezed.

leto78

Talking and doing are two different things.  Hindians are keeping face 

Any-Original-6113

Trump just needs to hit them where it hurts. Cognizant, InfoSys, Tata and Wirpro.

refep

Trump told them to stop….They keep doing it….. Trump says see they stopped because I told them to….. His stupid base believes him and the world keeps spinning…. This is today’s Unites States of America 

nelly2929

Trump is a senile con-man and a pathological liar. Any relationship his statements have to the truth is purely coincidental.

Nerevarine91

The oil is not sanctioned.

Russian oil has never been sanctioned and it is still not sanctioned by either the US or EU. Indian OMCs have not bought Iranian or Venezuelan crude which is actually sanctioned by the US. OMCs have always complied with the price cap of $60 for Russian oil recommended by the US. Recently the EU has recommended a price cap of $47.6 dollars for Russian crude which will be enforced from September according  to Indian sources.

So it's still following the price cap and is adhering to rules which are decided.

India imports like 85% oil, so it's doing what it can while following the international law.

Also, The EU was the largest importer of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) during this period, buying 51% of Russia’s LNG exports, followed by China at 21% and Japan at 18%. Similarly, for pipeline gas, the EU remained the top buyer with a 37% share, followed by China (30%) and Turkey (27%): Sources to ANI

So India is not even the primary or secondary beneficiary of the current situation lol. They are refining and selling most of it

Far_Piglet_9596

Now that India has been slapped with 25% tariffs, there's absolutely no need now to stop Russian oil imports.  And Fuck your F35s with its built-in Kill Switch !  I've seen Star Wars.   Trump did India a Solid.

craigferg

I don't think they ever said they were going to stop. They were just going to start looking for alternatives.

Lokon19

As an Indian, we prioritize what's best for us  just like every other nation does.

Ill-Brilliant-6590

The western nations can spend money to buy oil at a premium because they are rich. India is not rich enough to buy expensive oil just because of a conflict in Europe.

Eagle__Gunner

brager1990

At this point India should just make deals with China and Russia and stop paying attention to what the USA says. USA keeps telling India China is a threat but seems like the threat is coming from the USA. India just make a peace treaty with China and the USA has nothing to make you fear. Pakistan is not an enemy if you have good relations with them as well.

Remarkable_Garage727

India will submit eventually. All it takes is banning it outsourcing.

Expert_Part_9115

Because sanctions are not in place yet. Indian government told refineries to prepare and to find another sources of oil. They will definitely stop importing oil from Russia. Funny how this propaganda is pushed on reddit today though.

dupa-osiem

Trump should cancel every work permit visa to India with immediate effect and make it illegal to work with any Indian company. India would be absolutely wrecked in months.

Objective_Mousse7216

India will hopefully realize the error of their ways and soon.

agewisdom

I am 1000000% certain that they will stop in the next two weeks.

smurfsundermybed

UnusualBreadfruit306

Trump never claimed India was going to stop buying Russian imports.  He said that's what he heard but didn't know if it was true or not, and I believe he was referring to the Reuters' article that first reported some Indian state refiners who stopped buying from their regular Russian suppliers and switched to spot market.

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India has made pretty based anti-Western decisions throughout its history, but it’s been solid trading partners with Russia since before liberalization a few decades ago. 

Also Trump had been felating Putin up until like a couple weeks ago so…

mayogray

Well obviously. The US is not even India biggest trading partner. Most of the stuffs the US buy from India is pharmaceuticals (generic drugs) and gemstones. There's no way Trump is going to tariff 100% on generic drugs that his supporters relies on for medication.


Trump literally has no leverage over India. 

Brief-Bat7754

This was supposed to be the most pro-US administration in India in 75 years. It has taken a lot of bullying from Trump to cause the deterioration of relationships.

For those repeating the past statements that India is a friend of Russia forget that India deals with both. And unfortunately, Russia has never let them down. The West, especially USA, has let them down on several occasions. 

You may never have India as an ally, but you don't get anything by making them an enemy or pushing them towards your enemy.

They have been steadily shifting away from Russian arms and buying western equipment. This wasn't the time to create a rift.

Jazzlike_770

Of course. India has great power aspirations; it has to show it's willing to defy outside pressure even from other great powers if it wants those aspirations taken seriously.

Prince_Ire

India is so short sighted. Forget the fact that Trump is a moron for a second. They have a chance to partner with the largest economy which would create a stronger economy and create a natural alliance to keep China in check. 

But instead they would rather have a 30% discount on oil….

Maleficent_Chair9915

I am from India and have blogged on this.  
India would not have bought any Russian oil (and wasn't a customer) until Iranian oil - the type most suited to our refineries and closest to India, was unofficially sanctioned by the US, though Iran was at the time compliant with the JCPOA. Subsequently, Venezuela was also sanctioned. The rest of OPEC hasn't increased output. Our choices were either crash our economy or continue buying Russian oil. A lot of that oil is refined and sold to Europe, so Europe can maintain the facade of complying with sanctions.

A better way to hurt the Russian economy, is to increase the availability of oil, by not sanctioning other suppliers.

Dean_46

The world's largest oil refinery is in India and a large percentage of the Russian oil bought by India is refined into products like diesel, aviation fuel, gasoline and naptha. These finished products are then sold to the EU.  No one in the world can match us in refining volumes or scale except the US, China and Russia.

Russia produces about 10-12% of the global crude oil supply. Taking that off the table would mean a sharp rise in oil prices for most countries reliant on imports. So unless the EU wants to tank the economies of its members, disrupt supply chains due to shortages and trigger a cost of living crisis for their citizens, they have to bite the bullet and buy Russian oil that has been refined in India.

No amount of virtue signalling by European heads of state or any sort of chest thumping/threats by Trump can change this reality. The very EU citizens that abuse India for buying Russian oil and vehemently declare their support for Ukraine would be rioting in the streets due to price rises if the EU stopped buying Indian refined oil.

For God's sake, the US should sanction the damned Turks if buying Russian oil and defense equipment is such a crime. They are equally involved with the Russians. Until then, the US and EU do nothing but showcase their hypocrisy.

DeciusCurusProbinus

No surprises there given India has always been the biggest buyer of Russian military equipment.

Bob_Spud

SS:

When President Trump slammed India this week for purchasing large amounts of Russian oil, threatening a “penalty” tariff on top of a 25 percent levy, it came like a lightning bolt. India has been a leading and conspicuous buyer of Russian energy since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, as most Western countries curtailed their purchases or stopped buying altogether.

Attempts led by the United States and Europe to inflict fiscal damage on Russia and punish its president, Vladimir V. Putin, had driven the price of oil lower. India saw a bargain and seized on it.

Normal_Imagination54

rockeye13

And that's how Russia ended up with so many Indian rupies, they don't know what to do with them.

Thick-Diamond2012

Indian officials confirmed that the country will continue to purchase oil from Russia despite geopolitical tensions and potential sanctions.

India's Continued Oil Imports from Russia

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