US warns India, others against sharp rise in Russian oil imports

NEW DELHI: A significant increase in Russian oil imports by India could expose New Delhi to a “great risk” as the United States prepares to step up enforcement of sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, a senior US administration official said.
While the current US sanctions against Russia do not prevent other countries from buying Russian oil, the warning raises expectations that Washington will attempt to restrict other countries’ purchases to normal levels.
The US official’s comment comes ahead of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s two-day visit to New Delhi and during the ongoing visit of US deputy national security adviser for economics Daleep Singh.