NEW DELHI, February 3. /TASS/. Indian analysts and oil refineries’ representatives believe it is unlikely that India will completely stop buying Russian oil in the near future, The Hindu Business Line reported citing sources.

According to the newspaper, despite US President Donald Trump's statement that India has promised to stop importing Russian oil, experts say a complete halt is "extremely unlikely" at least for the next two to three months.

Moreover, they warn that if India did completely halt Russian cargoes, the implications for the world’s fastest growing economy could be "disruptive".

Refineries’ reps and analysts clarified that there has been no government directive to stop purchasing oil from Russia.

As the newspaper notes, logistics also support their claims. Contracts for oil shipments from Russia are typically signed approximately 10 weeks in advance. Currently, vessels carrying oil are at various stages of loading and transportation, meaning that cargoes booked 10 weeks ago will continue to unload oil in Indian ports, primarily on the west coast, until the end of March or April 2026.

"India-US trade deal does not imply a near-term structural shift in India’s crude slate. Russian barrels remain sticky in the next term (around 2 months), while incremental diversification risk skews toward US and Venezuelan crude rather than a sharp displacement of Urals," Sumit Ritolia, Kpler’s Lead Research Analyst, told the publication.

 

Deal

 

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States and India had agreed to a deal on further bilateral trade terms. He specified that the United States intends to reduce retaliatory tariffs from 25% to 18%. He also claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed in a phone call to stop purchasing Russian oil and switch to purchasing fuel from the United States and, possibly, from Venezuela. However, Trump did not clarify at the time whether the United States would lift the 25% tariffs imposed on India due to its purchase of Russian oil.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that India is reducing its purchases of Russian oil. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow relies on statements made by New Delhi regarding India's purchases of Russian oil. India has stressed that its energy imports are primarily focused on the interests of its consumers and energy security.