Lavrov says Russia’s oil supplies to India has increased – Firstpost

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said that crude oil supplies from Moscow to India have increased, reaffirming the deepening energy partnership between the two countries at a time of shifting global trade flows.

Speaking at a press conference on the sideline of the BRICS summit, Lavrov said the rise in Russian oil shipments to India was “not a secret” and part of publicly available trade data.

“It is not a secret data or statistics. We published it and oil supplies to India increased,” he said.

His remarks come even as fresh data show a month-on-month decline in India’s overall Russian crude imports. According to the latest figures from the Helsinki-based think-tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), India’s purchases of Russian oil fell 15 per cent in April to €4.5 billion ($5.27 billion), down from €5.3 billion ($6.26 billion) in March.

While Western countries have criticised the rerouting of Russian oil exports, India has consistently maintained that its energy sourcing decisions are guided by national interest and market economics, particularly the need to secure affordable fuel supplies for a rapidly growing economy.

Lavrov’s comments underscore Moscow’s continued confidence in sustaining and expanding energy trade with key Asian partners, even as short-term import fluctuations emerge due to refinery maintenance cycles and operational adjustments in India.

Despite month-to-month volatility, Russia remains one of India’s top crude suppliers, reflecting the broader realignment of global oil trade flows amid geopolitical tensions and evolving sanctions regimes.