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India’s imports of crude oil from the US are on track to fall to their lowest level since December 2024, even as Washington pushes New Delhi to reduce its dependence on Russian oil.
Kpler data cited by Ritolia show the sharp reversal in India’s US crude purchases. Imports from the US climbed to around 565,000 barrels per day (bpd) in October 2025, the highest level on the chart, before falling steadily in the months that followed. Flows dropped to about 295,000 bpd in January 2026, 215,000 bpd in February and 165,000 bpd in March. After a brief recovery to around 250,000 bpd in May, imports fell to about 160,000 bpd in June and 125,000 bpd in July.
The latest August reading is around 75,000 bpd, putting imports close to the roughly 70,000 bpd recorded in December 2024. From the October 2025 peak, US crude flows to India have fallen by nearly 87 per cent.
The decline shows the role of refinery economics, crude quality, freight costs and shipping routes in determining India’s oil purchases.
US has pushed India to buy more oil
Washington has been seeking to reduce India’s purchases of Russian crude, particularly since the US imposed additional tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi’s Russian oil purchases.
US President Donald Trump has also said India would buy more oil from the US and Venezuela. In February, Trump said India would buy Venezuelan oil instead of crude from Iran. “We’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal,” Trump said in February this year.
The US push came as Washington sought to pressure countries to reduce their purchases of Russian oil. Yet, despite these efforts, US crude has not gained a larger share of India’s import basket.
Why US crude is less attractive to Indian refiners
One reason is the economics of buying and processing different grades of crude.
India’s refiners are equipped to process a wide range of crude, but Russian barrels have remained attractive because of their price, availability and suitability for several large Indian refineries.
Freight rates and tanker availability can therefore have a significant impact on the final cost of crude for Indian refiners. US barrels also face competition from refiners in East Asia, which can buy the same supplies depending on market conditions.
Russian crude remains dominant
The continued importance of Russian crude is evident from India’s import data. Indian refiners imported a record 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude in July, accounting for about 55.5 per cent of the country’s total crude imports of just over 5 million bpd, according to data cited by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Russia supplied less than 100,000 bpd to India in 2021, accounting for about 2.5 per cent of its crude imports, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The volume rose to about 740,000 bpd in 2022 and nearly 1.8 million bpd in 2023.
In July, India imported Russian crude worth 5.5 billion euros, accounting for 87 per cent of its total Russian fossil fuel purchases, CREA said.
The increase was not driven only by India’s largest Russian crude receiving terminals. Imports through HMEL Mundra rose 58 per cent from June, while volumes at Indian Oil’s Vadinar terminal increased 35 per cent. Mumbai also recorded a 37 per cent rise. At the same time, imports through Paradip fell 22 per cent, while Jamnagar volumes were unchanged.
Russian crude continues to benefit from established supply chains, competitive pricing and its fit with Indian refining systems. US crude, meanwhile, has to overcome higher freight costs and longer shipping distances, besides competition from buyers in other Asian markets.
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