NEW DELHI, March 6. /TASS/. Tankers may deliver nearly 22 mln barrels of Russian oil to India within the next week, allowing the South Asian country to address its energy problem amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, the Indian newspaper The Economic Times reported.
According to the publication, around a dozen tankers carrying Urals crude oil are currently within India’s reach — in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
As reported earlier, the US Treasury Department issued a license allowing India to purchase Russian oil already loaded on tankers at sea within a 30-day period. The license also covers transactions involving petroleum products and supplies of crude that had been loaded onto any vessels through March 5. According to statements by US officials, the decision was made to ease pressure on the global oil market amid the US and Israeli military operation against Iran.
According to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, such a step will help increase supply on the global energy market amid the US-Israeli military campaign in the Middle East.
Earlier, the Indian Foreign Ministry stated that ensuring the energy security of the country’s 1.4 bln residents is the government’s top priority. Diversification of energy sources in accordance with objective market conditions and the evolving international situation underpins the country’s strategy, and all of India’s decisions are made and will be made with this in mind.