Is India Bowing To Trump? US Oil Imports Soar To Highest Level Since 2022 | World News

New Delhi: India increased the amount of crude oil it buys from the USA. It turned out that the increase in October was the highest increase since 2022. Experts believe that the change reflects the price dynamics that Indian refiners are seeing in the market. American oil looked cheaper and more attractive. Russia continues to supply the largest amount of crude oil to India.

India meets most of its energy demand through imports, as it supplies almost 86 percent of the crude oil it uses. Russian supply has emerged as an important source after the conflict in Ukraine increased prices and global uncertainty. The buying trend from Russia continues to be strong. The US has called on India to reduce oil deals with Moscow and imposed a 25 percent tariff on Russian crude reaching India after being refined.

A report by Times of India, based on data from global maritime analytics firm Kpler, shows that India’s crude imports from the US rose to around 540,000 barrels per day in October. Industry forecasts suggest the figure could reach 575,000 barrels per day by the end of the month. Initial export data from the US points to a range of 400,000 to 450,000 barrels per day in November. So far the annual average has been close to 300,000 barrels per day.

Sumit Ritolia, one of Kpler analysts, explains that the rise is mainly due to market dynamics. The widening price gap between Brent and WTI crude oil has made American supply more attractive to Indian refiners. Reduced demand from China also freed up additional volumes for export.

It says crude oil shipments from the US take around 45 to 55 days to reach India. Most of the cargoes now arriving were booked before Washington imposed new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, the two biggest exporters of Russian crude oil.

Ritolia warns that the rise will not last long. US crude oil takes significantly longer to reach India, increasing shipping and freight costs. The nature of WTI crude also poses limitations as not all Indian refineries are equipped to process it in large volumes.

But even within these constraints, America’s expanding role in India’s oil basket carries strategic weight. The two countries are pursuing a broader economic cooperation plan targeting $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. The US is already India’s largest export market and New Delhi currently enjoys a trade surplus in this relationship.

For now, India continues to pursue the most competitive deals in the global energy market. The increase in U.S. crude oil arrivals in October highlights how pricing and logistics ultimately drive refinery decisions.

Russia still dominates the field, but Washington has opened up more space. How this balance changes from now on will depend on global price movement and the barrels available in the coming months.