Indian minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri
India defiant over Russian crude
Oil minister pushes back against criticism of his country’s approach to Russia
“We will buy [oil] from Russia; we will buy from wherever,” Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian minister of petroleum and natural gas, declared during a televised interview at the Gastech conference in Milan. The minister emphasised his “moral duty to my consumer” and stated his country has no conflict with Russia. Refusing to be drawn on the morality of continuing to purchase Russian crude, Puri stated that “it is a question of energy” and that he has a “democratic duty... what we have to do domestically, is insulate our own population" against inflationary pressures and the "interlinked crises of fuel, food and fertiliser” availability. India will therefore consider the G7 proposals to cap Russian
Also in this section
12 December 2025
The latest edition of our annual Outlook publication, titled 'The shape of energy to come: Creating unique pathways and managing shifting alliances', is available now
12 December 2025
The federal government is working with Alberta to improve the country’s access to Asian markets and reduce dependence on the US, but there are challenges to their plans
11 December 2025
The removal of the ban on oil and gas exploration and an overhaul of the system sends all the right messages for energy security, affordability and sustainability
10 December 2025
The economic and environmental cost of the seven-year exploration ban will be felt long after its removal
