Indian state refiners have started making enquiries with trading firms about purchases of Russia's Urals crude oil as discounts widen, three people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, ahead of a high-profile meeting of U.

Russian barrels accounted for 38% of India’s estimated 5.2 million bpd imports in early August, according to analytics firm Kpler. The increase came at the cost of lower imports from Iraq and Saudi Arabia,

A closely-monitored oil market metric that tracks the strength of Middle Eastern crude versus global benchmark Brent underlines the fallout from President Donald Trump’s push against India’s buying of Russian flows.

India's state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp has awarded a five-month tender for 10 million barrels of U.S. oil to European trader Glencore, two people with knowledge of the matter said, aiding India's efforts to deepen energy ties with Washington.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized European countries for purchasing Indian oil products made from Russian raw materials. He also urged EU governments to "do their part" to increase pressure on that country,

India’s purchase of Russian oil has supported US policy objectives by helping stabilise global energy prices, former US Assistant Secretary of Energy Geoffrey Pyatt told CNBC-TV18. Pyatt said New Delhi’s actions aligned with the G7 price cap framework,

Reliance Industries , India's biggest buyer of Russian oil, has in recent weeks made rare fuel oil purchases from state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp, seven industry sources said.