Trump aide calls India ‘good actor’ on Russian oil purchase

The United States has said it temporarily permitted India to receive Russian oil shipments amid global supply disruptions, with the White House describing New Delhi as a “good actor” that had earlier complied with restrictions on sanctioned crude.

The US has "temporarily permitted" India to "accept" Russian oil already on ships in the sea to ensure energy supplies amid the conflict with Iran and the short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to Moscow, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Leavitt said the decision was cleared by US President Donald Trump in coordination with the US Treasury Department. She said the move was influenced by India’s earlier cooperation in curbing purchases of sanctioned Russian oil.


“We came to this decision as our allies in India have been good actors and had previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil. So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply in the world because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted India to accept Russian oil,” Leavitt said.

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She added that much of the crude involved had already been shipped before the decision was finalized. Because the cargo was “already at sea,” officials argued the deliveries would have limited economic impact on Moscow.

Leavitt also said the shipment “will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government”.

The remarks come after similar comments earlier this month from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who confirmed that Washington had granted India temporary flexibility to import Russian oil during the current energy disruption.

The issue of Russian oil had earlier triggered tensions between Washington and New Delhi over tariffs. As part of Trump’s broader trade measures, India initially faced tariffs of 25% during his “liberation day” policy announcement.

The White House said the tariff reduction was linked to commitments by New Delhi to scale down and eventually stop purchasing Russian oil.

The developments come amid a broader global energy crisis linked to escalating tensions in West Asia involving the United States, Israel and Iran. In India, authorities have begun taking steps to manage energy availability. The central government has set up a grievance-redress committee and moved to boost the supply of liquefied petroleum gas after reports of shortages of commercial cylinders in parts of the country.

According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, refineries have been instructed to increase LPG output while authorities prioritise household consumption. The use of LPG for non-essential and commercial purposes is also under review as officials attempt to stabilise supply during the ongoing crisis.