India cannot quickly replace Russian oil with supplies from the United States, says energy expert Dr. Anas Al Hajji. US President Donald Trump asked India to cut Russian imports and buy more American crude. However, India’s refineries are not designed for US oil.
Most US oil exports come as light sweet crude, while Indian refineries handle medium and heavy sour crude. Al Hajji added that India could only receive one or two US tankers per month, which is far from enough to replace Russian oil.
India has historically relied on Gulf states and Iraq because they are close to Indian ports. It also imports from West Africa, Brazil, and Mexico. After sanctions on Russia, India started buying discounted Russian crude. The country first reduced imports from South America, the US, and West Africa to make room for Russian oil.
If Russian supplies fall, India will turn first to West Africa, then the US and Latin America. Gulf producers can help, but no one knows how much they can increase production.
Al Hajji noted that China became a major buyer since 2016 and influences global oil prices. India still has low inventories of about 100 million barrels and needs to raise them to 350–400 million for energy security.
