Russia Offers to Scale Up Crude Oil and LNG Supplies to India Amid West Asia Conflict
Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov visited India and held meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Manturov stated that Russian companies are capable of scaling up deliveries of crude oil and LNG to the Indian market, positioning Russia as a reliable alternative energy supplier amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Hormuz crisis — triggered by Iran's threat to block the strait following US-Israel strikes on Iran — caused a 40% decline in India's LPG imports and disrupted LNG shipments, compelling India to urgently seek alternative sources.
Discussions covered trade, industry, energy, fertilisers, connectivity, mobility, technology, innovation, and critical minerals.
Reciprocal visits between Prime Ministers Modi and Putin are expected in 2026, further cementing the strategic partnership.
Talks between Doval and Manturov reportedly covered regional security dynamics and the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia.
India-Russia Energy Partnership: From Marginal Supplier to Dominant Source
Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia accounted for only about 1-2% of India's crude oil imports. The Western sanctions regime that followed — which Russia needed to bypass — and India's interest in discounted crude rapidly transformed the bilateral energy relationship. Russia's share of India's crude oil imports surged from approximately 2% (FY2021-22) to 21.6% (FY2022-23), 35.9% (FY2023-24), and 35.8% (FY2024-25), making Russia India's single largest crude oil supplier.
Manturov's offer reflects Russia's strategic interest in deepening India as a primary customer precisely when Western sanctions and the Iran crisis have increased its need for reliable large-volume buyers, while India's energy diversification imperatives make Russian supply attractive despite geopolitical sensitivities.
India's Energy Security Architecture: Strategic Reserves, Diversification, and Vulnerability
India's energy security rests on three pillars: import diversification (reducing dependence on any single supplier or route), strategic petroleum reserves (SPR), and demand-side management. The Hormuz crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in all three, with the Gulf region accounting for roughly 45-50% of India's crude imports in normal conditions, and both LNG and LPG supply chains disrupted.
Russia's offer directly addresses India's most acute short-term vulnerability — disrupted Gulf supply chains — and reinforces a longer-term bilateral energy partnership. The Manturov visit shows energy diplomacy operating at the highest political levels.
India's "Strategic Autonomy" and Balancing in a Multipolar World
India's foreign policy doctrine of "strategic autonomy" — the ability to maintain independent positions, maintain multiple partnerships, and avoid binding military alliances — is on display in its response to the West Asia conflict. India has declined to take sides explicitly in the US-Israel-Iran conflict, maintained energy ties with Russia despite Western pressure, and engaged diplomatically with all parties. This approach draws on India's Non-Alignment tradition while adapting it to the current multipolar context.
Key Details
- Non-Alignment Movement (NAM): founded 1961 (Belgrade); India was a founding member along with Yugoslavia (Tito), Egypt (Nasser), Indonesia (Sukarno), Ghana (Nkrumah). Core principle: independence from both Cold War blocs.
- India's contemporary "multi-alignment" vs. Cold War non-alignment: unlike NAM's passive neutrality, India today actively engages with competing powers (US via Quad, Russia via energy/defence, China via trade) without binding alliances.
- CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, 2017): US law imposing sanctions on entities doing business with Russian defence/intelligence sectors. India received a waiver for its S-400 missile defence purchase — a testament to its strategic importance to the US.
- India abstained on UNSC resolutions condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine (2022-present), maintaining its balancing posture.
The Manturov visit and Doval-Jaishankar meetings illustrate multi-alignment in action — India deepening its Russia energy and security partnership without abandoning its engagement with the West, reflecting the "strategic autonomy" doctrine that UPSC Mains frequently tests.
- Russia's share of India's crude imports: ~1-2% (pre-2022) → ~36% (FY2024-25)
- India-Russia bilateral trade FY2024-25: ~$69 billion; fossil fuels: $53 billion
- Crude discount to India: $15–25 per barrel vs. Brent (pre-Hormuz crisis levels)
- India's SPR capacity: ~5.33 MMT at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru, Padur (~9-10 days cover)
- India LNG regasification capacity: ~47.7 MMTPA; terminals at Dahej, Hazira, Kochi, Dabhol, Mundra, Ennore
- Hormuz crisis impact on India: 40% decline in LPG imports; LNG shipments disrupted
- India's crude import dependency: ~85% of consumption
- Bilateral meetings: Manturov met Modi, Doval (NSA), and Jaishankar (EAM) during India visit