Russia ready to supply as much oil as India needs: Kremlin envoy blasts 'pressure tactics' on New Delhi

Russia is ready to supply India with as much oil as it needs to meet its energy requirements, Kremlin envoy Denis Alipov said. He has also criticised plans to intensify sanctions on Russia's oil sales as "pressure tactics".

"We would be ready to supply as much oil as India needs," Russia's Ambassador Denis Alipov told news agency ANI. "Unfortunately, those who impose sanctions and tariffs have taken the path of pressure tactics instead of honest cooperation, which prevents those countries from offering a better deal to India in oil than us."

Russia was India's biggest source of crude oil in July, accounting for a record 50.83% of the country's imports, or 2.47 million barrels per day, Reuters reported last month. India's imports of Russian oil rose 62.4% from a year earlier in July.

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US Sanctions Push

A sanctions bill authored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham would give President Donald Trump the power to impose 100% tariffs on the five largest buyers of Russian crude and natural gas.

The tariffs could also target the top five countries accused of helping Russia evade energy sanctions. China, India, and Turkey are the largest purchasers of Russian petroleum products.

The bill passed the US Senate last month but faces growing opposition in the House of Representatives, Bloomberg reported on Monday. It is likely to remain stalled at least until the midterm elections in November, amid concerns that it would expand Trump's authority to impose tariffs and push up oil prices.

The sanctions effort is aimed at curbing Russian oil exports, which Washington claims fund the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. Russia's budget revenue depends heavily on energy sales.

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Alipov said India would have to decide how firmly it wanted to defend its interests.

"The question is - how confident is India? India has shown that it's able to stand its ground and defend its national interests. And when we speak about the sanctions pertaining to oil trade, the tariffs are also related to the cooperation between Russia and India in oil supplies. These interests are paramount for India," Alipov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met last week at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The two leaders are due to meet again at the BRICS summit in India this weekend.

Alipov also warned of disruptions in global energy markets if Russian oil is excluded, pointing to the US-Iran war and problems moving energy through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The world will not cope if Russian oil is excluded," the ambassador said. "The energy markets cannot afford that. Russian oil will stay in the market for India and other countries. We are interested in supplying oil to India. India is interested in buying that oil."