Putin says Russia is willing to supply 'uninterrupted' fuel to India, as U.S. pressures New Delhi to cut back

Russian President Vladimir Putin has underlined Moscow's willingness to supply "uninterrupted shipments of fuel" to India, arsenic the U.S. pressures New Delhi to springiness up importing their oil.

Putin made the connection during a associated code with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected Friday, portion of his archetypal sojourn to the state since Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, which triggered wide sanctions.

The sanctions forced Russia to question caller customers for its exports. India has go the 2nd biggest purchaser of Russian crude oil, aft China, with a study Finland-based Centre for Research connected Energy and Clean Air showing India bought 38% of Russian crude exports successful October.

In October, President Donald Trump sanctioned 2 of Russia's largest lipid companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. This followed a tariff of 25% connected India for buying Russian lipid successful August. But India has to locomotion a tightrope due to the fact that it has adjacent ties to the U.S. portion besides relying connected Russia for substance and entree to subject hardware.

Putin questioned U.S. unit connected India successful an interrogation to an Indian tv transmission connected Thursday.

The United States still buys atomic substance from Russia for its ain atomic powerfulness plants, Putin said successful the interview, adding: "If the U.S. has the right to buy our fuel, wherefore shouldn't India person the same privilege?" 

While Trump has acknowledged that India has chopped backmost its Russian lipid imports, experts told CNBC that this whitethorn beryllium a impermanent trend.

Apart from crude oil, Russia's Rosatom is besides delivering reactors and reportedly substance for India's Kudankulam atomic powerfulness works successful Tamil Nadu, which has a combined capableness of 6000MW.

India and Russia person an vigor partnership, the Russian president said, adding that Moscow had been is reliable supplier of "oil, gas, ember and everything that is required for the improvement of India's energy".

Last month, India announced a "historic deal" with Washington, successful which Indian state-owned lipid companies signed a one-year woody to import astir 2.2 cardinal tonnes per annum of liquefied petroleum state from the U.S.