US urges India to buy Russian oil cargoes waiting near Chinese refineries

The US has urged India to buy Russian oil already floating at sea and redirect it to Indian refineries to “tamp down” fears of supply shortages and price spikes amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said.

However, the move, he said, is a short-term, pragmatic effort to stabilise the market and did not signal any change in Washington’s policy towards Russia.

In



an interview with Media on Sunday, Wright said he, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, had spoken to Indian authorities about buying Russian crude cargoes currently waiting to be unloaded at Chinese refineries.

“India has been a great partner through this. I did call up the Indians, as did Treasury Secretary (Scott) Bessent, and said there’s a whole bunch of oil floating waiting to unload at Chinese refineries.