India’s state owned oil refiners have started to pull back in their purchase of Russian oil, according to sources. President Trump said this week he will apply a 50% tariff on India due to its Russian oil buys, 25% of that kicks in today.
Bloomberg News reports:
Companies including Indian Oil Corp. (IOC.NS), Bharat Petroleum Corp. (BPCL.NS) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. plan to skip spot purchases of the crude in the upcoming buying cycle, until there’s clear government guidance, said the people, who asked not to be identified as they aren’t authorized to speak publicly. That will affect buying of the Russia’s Urals cargoes for October-loading, they added.
The global oil market has zeroed in on India’s crude purchasing after President Donald Trump doubled the levy on all Indian exports to the US as a direct punishment for the country’s refiners taking Russian crude. The escalation — which hasn’t yet been matched by similar action against China, another major buyer — is meant to pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.