India said Saturday that it would continue importing Russian oil after the United States temporarily granted a sanctions waiver that allows for oil shipments currently stranded at sea to be sold to Indian buyers.
The waiver, issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, came as the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf disrupted global energy markets and pushed oil prices sharply higher.
However, India’s Press Information Bureau insisted that New Delhi was not dependent on “a short-term waiver” to buy Russian oil.
“India has never depended on permission from any country to buy Russian oil,” the government said in a statement. “India is still importing Russian oil even in February 2026, and Russia is still India’s largest crude oil supplier.”
