US sanctions against Russia should not affect Moscow's oil trade with India. This was stated by Pavel Sorokin, Russia's First Deputy Energy Minister, quoted by "Reuters", reports News.bg.
He said it was too early to assess the impact of the latest restrictions.
India has become the largest buyer of Russian marine oil, sold at a discount, after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and curbed energy purchases in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last month, Washington imposed new sanctions targeting the Russian oil chain, leading to a sharp jump in tanker prices as some buyers and ports in China and India shunned the sanctioned ships.
"Our relations with India are based on economic pragmatism," Sorokin said.
"We believe that energy trade should not be hindered by any politics," he insisted.
Sorokin said it was too early to measure the impact of the latest sanctions on USA.
"You cannot judge the situation based on data from a few weeks. More time is needed to assess these things, but we believe that constructive relations will continue to be successful," he stressed.
Russian supplies to India decreased in December and January compared to the levels of the previous six months.