Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, called Indians “very good actors”, claiming India ceased procuring Russian oil this fall after US asked it to do so. He added that the US has given “permission” to accept Russian oil amid the West Asia conflict. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept Russian oil. They added that the country’s existing reserves of crude oil and petroleum products are sufficient to meet domestic demand.

Source: Mint March 07, 2026 14:00 UTC