The announcement, made on Tuesday, comes amid growing geopolitical pressure after U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that Washington could further increase import tariffs on India over its continued purchases of Russian oil. Reliance operates the Jamnagar refinery, the world’s largest refining complex, and was India’s biggest buyer of Russian crude last year.
In a statement posted on X, the company said its Jamnagar refinery had not received any Russian crude cargoes in the past three weeks and was not anticipating any deliveries for the remainder of January. Reliance also dismissed a recent media report claiming that three vessels carrying Russian oil were en route to its refinery.
India became the largest buyer of discounted Russian seaborne crude following the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022. While the purchases helped cushion domestic fuel costs, they attracted criticism from Western nations, which have imposed sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, arguing that oil revenues support Moscow’s war effort.
Last year, the United States doubled import tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, citing India’s heavy intake of Russian oil. Both countries are currently engaged in negotiations for a possible trade deal, talks that have at times been strained.
According to sources cited by Reuters, Indian authorities have asked refiners to submit weekly disclosures detailing their purchases of Russian and U.S. crude. The same sources indicated that India’s imports of Russian oil could fall below one million barrels per day as New Delhi seeks to improve trade relations with Washington.
Stricter U.S. and European Union sanctions have already slowed Russian oil flows to India, with imports dropping to about 1.2 million barrels per day in December — a three-year low — according to industry sources and analytics firm Kpler. This represents a decline of roughly 40 per cent from the June peak of around two million barrels per day.
With Reliance stepping back from Russian supplies, January deliveries are expected to be limited to Russia-backed Nayara Energy and state-run refiners Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation, based on preliminary data from LSEG. Nayara, which operates a 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery, is likely to remain the main buyer, as its supply options are constrained by EU sanctions following the withdrawal of other suppliers.
Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Nayara Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.