Days after saying it would not extend a sanction waiver for Russian crude sold to Indian refiners, the U.S. Treasury Department changed its mind and extended the waiver for two weeks until mid-May.
Ukraine has agreed to work with the European Union to restart the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, EU senior officials said Tuesday
Supertanker rates on the route between the Middle East and China hit their highest in five years as traders sought alternatives to Russian crude, Bloomberg has reported, citing a daily rate of $137,000 for last Friday. Friday was when the latest U.S. sanctions against Russia’s two top exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil, came into effect, spurring action […]
President Trump reportedly called on the European Union to impose 100% tariffs on China and India if it wanted the United States to step up its own sanction pressure on Russia, as Brussels discusses its 19th package of sanctions against Moscow.
The EU is weighing options to impose fresh sanctions on Russia’s oil industry and exports by sanctioning major energy firms and erecting more barriers to Russian oil trade, sources with knowledge of the plans told Bloomberg on Monday.
Today, an additional 25% tariff on all Indian exports to the United States should come into effect, making the total tariff owed by importers of Indian goods around 50%. The additional tariff aims to discourage Indian energy importers from buying Russian oil. And it could hurt the U.S. economy—although U.S. oil producers would welcome the price change.
Russia and India are interested in collaborating on joint energy projects, including oil and gas production in Russia’s Far East and Arctic shelf, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday after meeting with his Indian counterpart in Moscow.
According to the data, Nayara Energy has imported at least seven cargos of Russian crude on tankers that include sanctioned vessels, carrying a total of 700,000 barrels. Nayara Energy accounts for some 8% of India’s total refining capacity. It operates a 400,000-bpd refinery in Vadinar, which is the second-largest in the country. The facility is 49% owned by Russia’s Rosneft.
In a later statement, India’s foreign ministry said that oil import decisions were “based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4bn people of India”. A spokesperson for the ministry said that “It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
EU states earlier approved a fresh sanctions package on Russia that included new banking restrictions and curbs on fuels made from the nation’s petroleum. The package – the bloc’s 18th since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – will also cut off 20 more Russian banks from the international payments system SWIFT and impose restrictions on Russian petroleum refined in other countries. A large oil refinery in India, part-owned by Russia’s state-run oil company, Rosneft PJSC, was also blacklisted.