India has continued to import crude oil from Russia regardless of the existence or expiration of a United States waiver, a top petroleum ministry official said at a media briefing on Monday.
Sujata Sharma, who serves as a joint secretary in the petroleum ministry, told reporters that purchases from Russia were in place prior to the American waiver, persisted during the waiver and have continued since. When asked about the waiver's role in procurement decisions, she framed the choice as commercial rather than regulatory.
"Regarding (the) American waiver on Russia, I would like to emphasize that we have been purchasing from Russia earlier ... I mean before waiver also, during waiver also, and now also," Sharma said.
Sharma reiterated that the ministry and buyers evaluate crude purchases on the basis of commercial logic. In her words, "It is basically the commercial sense which should be there for us to purchase." She further affirmed that India does not face a shortage of crude, noting that adequate supplies have been secured through repeated arrangements.
"Enough crude has been tied up repeatedly ... and this, whatever waiver or no waiver, it will not affect," she said.
Separately, the petroleum ministry disclosed the financial strain on state-owned fuel retailers tied to current pricing and market conditions. The ministry said those retailers are incurring revenue losses on fuel sales of roughly 7.5 billion rupees per day. Despite the magnitude of these losses, officials indicated there are no plans for the central government to provide direct financial support to state refiners.
The comments provide a snapshot of policy posture and commercial practice: procurement choices will be governed by market-driven considerations, while state-owned distribution entities are bearing substantial daily losses without expectation of immediate government remediation.
Impacted sectors: oil and gas producers and refiners, state-owned fuel retailers, and broader energy distribution networks.