New Delhi: Russia has offered to increase supplies of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India as the Middle East crisis increases volatility in the global energy market, PTI reported citing officials familiar with the discussions. Energy cooperation formed a key part of talks on Thursday between Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Denis Manturov confirmed that Russian companies have the ability to continuously increase supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas to the Indian market,” the agency quoted a Russian readout of Manturov’s engagements in New Delhi as saying.The comments come amid disruptions to crude oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles about 20% of global oil and LNG exports. India gets a significant part of its energy from the Middle East.The disruption has led to rising energy prices across the region, including the cost of commercial LPG, air-turbine fuel (ATF), premium petrol in India. The disruption hit the gas sector hard as India imports more than 60% of its LPG consumption and about 90% of this comes through the Strait of Hormuz. Since the beginning of the conflict, the government has ensured more than 100% production capacity operation by all refineries in the country to provide relief to consumers from supply disruptions, and has also diversified the sourcing of oil and gas. During the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), co-chaired by Manturov and Jaishankar, the two sides discussed expanding bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation. “Specific steps were discussed to create favorable conditions for increasing bilateral trade turnover in the current context,” the Russian readout said.Manturov also highlighted Russia’s support on fertilizers, noting that supplies to India are expected to increase by 40% by the end of 2025, with further deliveries planned to meet India’s needs.The External Affairs Ministry said the talks covered a wide range of sectors including trade, industry, energy, fertiliser, connectivity, mobility, technology, innovation, critical minerals and civil nuclear energy. Later, the Russian statement said, “Russia sees significant potential for deepening engagement with India in the region.”The discussions also reviewed progress on the implementation of the outcomes of the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit held in December 2025, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India. The summit had unveiled a five-year roadmap to strengthen the economic partnership and increase annual bilateral trade to US$100 billion by 2030.The External Affairs Ministry said Jaishankar and Manturov exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the conflict in the Middle East.
