White House explains temporary approval for India to buy Russian oil
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (photo: US Department of State)
India has received temporary permission to purchase Russian oil, lifting of sanctions against the Russian oil sector is not being discussed at this time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"I don't have any announcements on new sanctions or the lifting of new sanctions for you today," she said.
According to Leavitt, India received temporary permission to purchase Russian oil. She clarified that the decision was made by US President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and the national security team.
White House explained that this step is linked to the need to cover the temporary shortage of oil supplies caused by the situation with Iran.
"Our allies in India, as you know, have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil. 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," a spokesperson said.
At the same time, she clarified that this concerns Russian oil that was already at sea at the moment the decision was made.
White House also stressed that they do not expect a significant financial benefit for Russia from this short-term decision.
"So, this short-term measure, we don't believe it will provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government at this time," Leavitt added.
What preceded
After the start of the war by the US and Israel against Iran, Tehran announced the closure of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of global oil trade and liquefied natural gas passes. Against this background, global oil prices sharply increased.
On March 5, the media reported that several tankers with Russian oil, which initially headed to countries of East Asia, changed route and set course for India.
Given that India is the third-largest oil importer in the world, the US said it intends to ease pressure on supplies and prices by allowing Delhi to temporarily resume purchases of Russian oil.
At the same time, before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India was not a major buyer of Russian oil. However, after its price fell on the global market, Delhi sharply increased imports.
However, in February this year, India agreed to abandon such supplies under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump and in exchange for the conclusion of a trade agreement with the United States.
