India is unlikely to rein in crude oil purchases from Russia, its largest oil supplier, despite mounting pressure from Washington, with the US Senate overwhelmingly passing a sanctions Bill empowering President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from the top buyers of Russian oil and gas, sources said.The legislation puts India, the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China, directly in the line of fire. But New Delhi is expected to stay the course, not allowing its energy security and strategic ties with Russia to be dictated by external pressure, sources noted.“India has long-enduring ties with Russia, and its defence and energy relationship is deeply entrenched. It cannot simply be given up under external pressure,” a person tracking the matter closely told businessline.Despite tariff sanctions initiated in the US Senate, India imported a record 2.78 million barrels per day (mbd) of Russian crude in July 2026, according to industry data. Against overall crude imports of 4.96 mbd by India during the month, Moscow accounted for more than half of its total oil buys.“India’s oil import data in July 2026 shows that inflows from Russia touched a record high despite the US Senate advancing the sanctions bill. This gives a fair idea about what the government has in mind and its unwillingness to curtail its ties with Moscow,” the source said.Moreover, the passing of the sanctions bill, officially the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, would not immediately translate into action as it still has to clear the US House of Representatives. Also the tariff would not be automatic.“The legislation gives the President the authority to impose tariffs on top oil importers from Russia and does not automatically result in its imposition. There are already many voices in the US against the bill arguing that more duties on China and India would further raise domestic prices. We need to wait and see what happens,” another source said.New Delhi had moderated its oil purchases from Russia for a brief period last year after the Trump administration, on August 27, 2025, imposed 25 per cent duties on Indian imports. However, crude imports from Moscow continued robustly through the year despite the tariffs, with shipments valued at $40.82 billion accounting for about 30 per cent of the country’s overall crude purchases in the 2025–26 financial year (FY26).The US penal tariffs for Russian oil purchase were subsequently dropped on February 7 2026 following the announcement of a framework interim trade deal by India and the US.“India has a lot going with the US, including work on a bilateral trade agreement. It has also increased its energy imports from the US substantially. Imposing high tariffs on Indian goods is not a good idea for the American consumers as well. One must wait for the situation to develop without any knee-jerk reactions,” the second source said.Published on August 9, 2026