Harsh Vardhan Shringla warned that stopping Russian oil imports could trigger a domestic energy crisis and push inflation higher. He said, “If we were to stop purchase of Russian oil, we would have a serious energy situation in our hands.” India currently relies on Russia for nearly 50% of oil.

Former foreign secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla has warned that an abrupt halt to India's purchases of Russian crude oil could trigger a domestic energy crisis, drive up inflation and push global oil prices higher.

According to a MoneyControl report, speaking at an event organised by the Asia Society, Shringla said India's dependence on Russian oil made it difficult for the country to discontinue imports without significant consequences for its energy security and the global market.

Recalling earlier instances when India reduced oil purchases from Iran and Venezuela following requests from Washington, Shringla described an exchange with a US official who visited New Delhi when he was foreign secretary during Joe Biden's presidency.

“One of our US colleagues came down to Delhi when I was the foreign secretary. He told us that we should start slowing down the purchase of Russian oil. This was during the Biden administration. So I told him that when I was in DC, you got us to wean ourselves off Iranian oil. It was a huge effort ... but we stopped buying Iranian oil. At some stage we were told not to buy Venezuelan oil, even when we had invested $6 billion there in capacity. And today, you are asking us to stop buying Russian oil," Shringla recalled.

He argued that the implications of stopping Russian oil imports would be considerably greater because of the country's substantial contribution to India's crude supply in recent years.

“Nearly 50% of our oil was coming from Russia during 2023, 2024, 2025 and parts of 2026 ... so if we were to stop purchase of Russian oil, we would have a serious energy situation in our hands. There would be a distinct possibility that energy prices would go through the roof and affect our inflation figures. It would also have an impact on global energy security. We are today the third largest buyer of energy. India is ending up buying most of the oil in the world and if it stops, it will impact global oil prices,” Shringla added.

Shringla also acknowledged that India had increased its purchases of American energy while diversifying its sources of supply to include countries such as Australia, Brazil and Nigeria.

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had earlier said India had not faced pressure from the US to reduce its imports of Russian crude.

"I never felt anything," PTI quoted Puri as saying at an industry event when asked whether Washington had pressured India to cut its Russian oil purchases.

Puri said India's decisions on Russian crude imports depended on the discounts available and how its prices compared with other grades. He added that Indian refiners were purchasing less Russian oil as they increased their purchases of discounted crude from Gulf countries.

India significantly increased its imports of Russian crude after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Western sanctions prompted several traditional buyers to reduce their reliance on Russian supplies, leading Moscow to redirect more oil towards Asian markets at discounted prices that attracted Indian refiners.

Russian crude, which accounted for around 2% or less of India's oil imports before the war, subsequently became the country's largest source of crude oil.

However, India's import mix has shifted in recent months. In September 2026, crude imports from the Middle East rose to around 2.8 million barrels per day, accounting for 54% of India's total oil imports, compared with 32% in August.

Meanwhile, Russian crude imports declined by around 14% month-on-month to approximately 1.8 million barrels per day, bringing Russia's share of India's total oil imports down to 33.5%.