America has praised India’s role amid the sanctions imposed on Russian oil. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said that India has behaved responsibly in the matter of Russian oil. He described India as a very good partner and indicated that the US may consider relaxing some more restrictions on Russian oil to keep the global oil market stable.

Scott Besant said during a conversation in a program that America has allowed India to buy Russian oil, which was already en route by sea. He said that America had earlier asked India to stop purchasing banned Russian oil by the end of this year and India also complied with this request.

America gave permission to buy oil

Scott Besant said that India had planned to buy American oil instead of Russian oil, but to avoid a sudden reduction in the oil supply in the world, America gave India temporary permission to take the Russian oil already present on the ships. He said that the purpose of this step was to prevent the shortage of oil in the global market. This decision has come at a time when due to tensions related to Iran, pressure on oil prices has increased in the world and there is a possibility of supply being affected in the Middle East. There has been increased concern especially about the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, because a large part of the world’s oil passes through this route.

What did Scott Besant indicate?

Scott Besant also pointed out that if needed, the US could consider lifting some restrictions on additional Russian oil to bring more oil into the market. He said that this step can be taken to keep the global supply balanced. Meanwhile, according to the report of news agency Reuters, the prices of heavy crude oil from the American Gulf Coast have increased. Due to the conflict related to Iran and supply disruption in the Middle East, many buyers are now turning to American oil.

US President Donald Trump once claimed on Saturday (25 October 2025) that India has completely cut oil imports from Russia. He said that this step of India is a big step towards strategic partnership with America. However, India has earlier rejected all such claims and clarified that the decision to purchase oil is based on its national interests and not on external pressures.

The Trump administration said that economic and financial sanctions are being imposed on these companies to prevent the Russian energy sector from funding the war machine. These sanctions include freezing the assets of two Russian companies Rosneft and Lukoil in the US, barring American citizens from any financial transactions with them and appealing to global partner countries to maintain trade distance with them. The move is a direct hit to Russia’s economy as Rosneft and Lukoil control about 45% of Russia’s total oil exports.

What is India’s stance on Russian oil?

Soon after Trump’s claim, Indian Foreign Ministry sources once again reiterated that India will continue to buy crude oil from Russia as it is an important part of energy security and cheap supply. India says that unless there is an official ban at the United Nations (UN) level, no country can stop it from buying oil from a particular seller.

An official of India’s Energy Ministry said on condition of anonymity that our priority is to ensure that India gets cheap and stable oil. We cannot compromise with our interests. Trump has earlier also claimed that India will gradually stop buying oil from Russia, but India’s purchase figures show that Russia is still India’s largest crude oil supplier, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Trump’s next diplomatic move

Trump also said during his announcement that he expected a full trade deal when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. He said that we will also talk about fentanyl (a deadly drug) and agricultural trade. It is killing many Americans and it comes from China. This meeting is taking place at a time when tension between America and China is at its peak regarding technical restrictions, trade balance and raw material supply chain.

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