The United States said on Wednesday that its decision to allow India to buy limited quantities of Russian oil is a temporary step aimed at easing pressure on global energy supplies during the ongoing Middle East crisis.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was designed as a short-term measure to stabilise markets as disruptions linked to Iran and tensions in the region continue to affect supply routes.
Responding to a question on the waiver issued last week, Leavitt said the decision reflected India’s earlier cooperation with Western sanctions on Moscow.“They came to this decision because our allies in India have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil,” she said. “So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply around the world because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted them to accept that Russian oil and this Russian oil was already at sea.”She added that the shipments involved crude already in transit and would not meaningfully boost Russia’s revenues.“It was already out on the water. So this short term measure, we don’t believe it will provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government at this time,” Leavitt said.The clarification comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump faces questions over the decision to ease restrictions months after imposing punitive measures on India for buying Russian crude.Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington had agreed to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil that was already loaded on ships and stranded at sea, describing it as a way to quickly inject supply into the market.“The Indians had been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. They did,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business. “But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil.”US Energy Secretary Chris Wright also described the step as a practical move to stabilise prices while markets adjust to disruptions in the region.“We have implemented short term measures to help keep oil prices down. We are allowing our friends in India to take oil that is already on ships, refine it, and move those barrels into the market quickly,” Wright wrote on X.Washington has made clear that the waiver is limited in scope. The US Treasury issued a 30-day authorisation allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian crude that had already been loaded onto vessels before March 5, provided it is delivered to Indian ports by early April.Officials have repeatedly said the measure does not represent a shift in the US sanctions policy towards Russia. Instead, they argue it is a stop-gap aimed at keeping global oil flowing and preventing further price spikes as the conflict involving Iran threatens supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.
