Indian minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri
India defiant over Russian crude
Oil minister pushes back against criticism of his country’s approach to Russia
“We will buy [oil] from Russia; we will buy from wherever,” Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian minister of petroleum and natural gas, declared during a televised interview at the Gastech conference in Milan. The minister emphasised his “moral duty to my consumer” and stated his country has no conflict with Russia. Refusing to be drawn on the morality of continuing to purchase Russian crude, Puri stated that “it is a question of energy” and that he has a “democratic duty... what we have to do domestically, is insulate our own population" against inflationary pressures and the "interlinked crises of fuel, food and fertiliser” availability. India will therefore consider the G7 proposals to cap Russian
Also in this section
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
