Reliance Industries Denies Recent Russian Oil Deliveries Amid Sanctions

Reliance's Statement on Russian Oil Imports

On Tuesday, Reliance Industries announced that it has not received any shipments of Russian oil at its Jamnagar refinery over the last three weeks and does not anticipate any deliveries in January.

This statement was made in response to a report from a news outlet that claimed three vessels carrying Russian oil were en route to the refinery in Gujarat, citing data from an analytics firm.

Reliance labeled the report as 'blatantly untrue.'

Previously, on November 20, the company declared that it had ceased importing Russian oil into its Jamnagar facility and would comply with Western sanctions against Russia due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, while still maintaining relationships with its current oil suppliers.

The Jamnagar refinery is recognized as the largest single-location refining complex globally.

Since the onset of the Ukraine war in February 2022, the United States and its European allies have implemented a series of sanctions targeting Russian businesses, particularly oil exporters, in an effort to compel Moscow to cease hostilities and negotiate peace.

Former US President Donald Trump has consistently claimed that the importation of discounted Russian oil by nations like India is contributing to the war effort in Moscow.

In August, the Trump administration escalated tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% in response to the purchase of Russian oil, following an initial 25% reciprocal tariff.

At that time, New Delhi expressed that it was 'extremely unfortunate' for the US to impose such punitive measures on India for actions that other countries were also undertaking in their national interests.

On October 23, Reliance informed a news agency that it was in the process of recalibrating its Russian oil imports and would fully adhere to the guidelines set by the Government of India.

By November 20, a spokesperson for Reliance indicated that starting December 1, all products exported from the Jamnagar facility would be derived from crude oil not sourced from Russia.

Recently, US Senator Lindsey Graham mentioned that the Indian ambassador had conveyed to him in a private discussion that India was reducing its purchases of Russian oil and urged him to ask Trump to reconsider the tariffs associated with these imports.

Graham's remarks were made in the presence of the US president, suggesting that the punitive measures imposed by Trump were effective.

In response to Graham's statements, Trump indicated that the US might increase tariffs on India if the country does not reduce its Russian oil imports.

The Congress party criticized the Union government on Monday, asserting that India should pursue an independent foreign policy rather than remain in silent compliance.