India’s private refineries independently adjusted their crude procurement strategies in 2025, reducing Russian purchases without any government mandate, driven by economic calculations. Data shows that US crude imports to India surged by 65.6% to $8.2 billion during April-December 2025, while Russian crude imports contracted by more than 17%, falling from $40 billion to $33.1 billion year-on-year.
December 2025 witnessed the culmination of these independent refiner decisions. Russian crude shipments to India declined by 15.15% to $2.71 billion from $3.2 billion in December 2024, making Russia the only supplier among India’s top five to record negative growth. Industry sources indicate that private refiners, who had been major purchasers of discounted Russian crude, led this shift.
Alternative suppliers benefited from the refiners’ procurement decisions. Saudi Arabia achieved exceptional growth of 61%, delivering crude worth $1.75 billion in December 2025. The United States recorded a 31% increase to $569.30 million. Iraq contributed $2.37 billion, up 4.56%, while the UAE supplied $1.65 billion, reflecting a 6% annual rise.
The refiner-driven shift intensified following the US implementation of a 25% punitive tariff on Indian goods on August 27, 2025, designed to discourage purchases of sanctioned Russian petroleum. Although no official government directive was issued to refiners, the economic impact of the tariff influenced their independent procurement decisions. Russian crude imports declined from $3.62 billion in July 2025 to $2.71 billion in December 2025.
India’s total crude oil imports from all sources reached $11.29 billion in December 2025, up 9.1% from $10.34 billion in December 2024. Cumulative imports for April-December 2025 totaled $105.10 billion, compared to $109.33 billion in the corresponding period of 2024. The refiner-driven diversification supports India’s broader energy security objectives.