India has increased the supply from the Middle East by reducing Russian oil.Image Credit source: ChatGPT
After the US President’s Russian oil tariff, India has completely changed its oil game. It would not be wrong to say that India has broken up with Russian oil and patched up the oil of Gulf countries. In fact, there is a continuous decrease in the supply of Russian oil. At the same time, there is an increase in the supply of crude oil from Gulf countries. The whole world has been shocked by this oil game of India. On the other hand, India has recently made oil supply deals with some new countries. Let us also tell you what kind of story the figures are telling?
How is the supply of Gulf countries increasing?
India has changed its crude oil import strategy and has emphasized on low-risk supply. The share of West Asia in this is increasing, while there is also limited supply from Russia. According to data from analysis firm Kpler, Russian crude oil imports fell to about 1.1 million barrels per day in the first three weeks of January, from an average of 1.21 million barrels per day last month and slightly more than 2 million barrels per day in mid-2025.
India is almost 90 percent dependent on imports to meet its crude oil needs. According to Kpler data, Iraq is now supplying the same amount as Russia, whereas in December 2025 it was an average of 9,04,000 barrels per day. The quantity coming from Saudi Arabia has also increased to 9,24,000 barrels per day this month, which was 7,10,000 barrels per day in December and 5,39,000 barrels per day in April 2025.
Russia had left Iraq behind by 2022
Russia overtook Iraq to become India’s top supplier in 2022, when Indian refineries rushed to buy deeply discounted Russian oil. In fact, after Moscow’s attack on Ukraine, Europe and other western countries had stopped buying oil from Russia. Kpler research analyst Sumit Ritolia said India’s crude oil purchases in January 2026 show a clear shift towards less risky and more reliable supply. The share of West Asia in this is increasing, while the flow of Russia also remains in limited quantity.