Russia has expressed its willingness to assist India with energy supplies amid the escalating crisis in West Asia, which threatens oil flows and prices.
Russia is ready to fulfil India’s energy demands if disruptions arise from the ongoing West Asia crisis, diplomatic sources said, with Moscow assuring continued supplies and offering backup arrangements to New Delhi as Gulf tensions threaten global oil flows.
Sources indicated that Moscow has conveyed its willingness to step in should existing supply routes face prolonged disruption. The offer is aimed at ensuring continuity in energy flows to India, which relies heavily on imports to meet its domestic demand.
The assurance comes as India said it has sufficient crude and fuel inventories to meet domestic demand for six to eight weeks, cushioning the country against short-term supply shocks amid escalating military conflict in the region.
About half of India’s crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas imports transit the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy chokepoint that has faced disruptions following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. Iran has warned shipping away from the strait, and insurers have reportedly withdrawn coverage, affecting tanker movements.
A top oil ministry official said the government is monitoring the situation “on a daily and hourly basis” and expressed confidence in managing the crisis, which some estimates suggest may last a week or 10 days, reports PTI.
India currently has crude stocks sufficient for about 25 days and fuel inventories for a similar duration. Additional buffers include commercial reserves and strategic petroleum reserves at Mangalore, Padur and Visakhapatnam, bringing total commercial crude stocks to around 100 million barrels. Combined reserves could cover roughly 40 to 45 days of imports in a disruption scenario.
The oil ministry said Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri “briefed the media on the country’s preparedness in the current circumstances” and that “the country is well stocked with crude oil and inventories of key petroleum products including petrol, diesel and ATF to deal with short-term disruptions arising from the Middle East.”