According to trade data shared with Reuters, India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day from January to June this year, up 1 per cent from one year ago. In total, it imported Russian oil worth about £38bn in the financial year ending March 2025.

India faces a perfect storm as Russian oil supplies dry up, discounts shrink, and Trump's tariffs add pressure. Refiners scramble for alternatives while Delhi walks a diplomatic tightrope

India, which now faces among the highest tariff rates imposed by the US, called the levy "unjustified and unreasonable".