Energy Secretary Wright: US Asked India To Buy Russian Oil Meant For Chinese Refineries

WASHINGTON, DC– US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on March 8 that the US asked India to purchase Russian oil cargoes that were waiting to unload at Chinese refineries in a bid to stabilize global energy markets during the ongoing conflict with Iran.

In an interview with CNN, Wright said the Trump administration directly reached out to India as part of a short-term effort to calm oil markets rattled by disruptions in the Middle East.

“I did call up the Indians, as did US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and say, look, there’s a whole bunch of oil that’s floating to wait to unload at Chinese refineries,” he added.

“Instead of having it wait six weeks to unload there, let’s just pull that oil forward, have it land at Indian refineries and tamp this fear of shortage of oil, tamp the price spikes and the concerns we see in the marketplace,” Wright said.

The US Energy Secretary added that the step was intended to quickly bring additional crude supplies into global markets and prevent further spikes in oil prices triggered by the war with Iran.

“It’s just a pragmatic effort that has a short time span,” he said.

The US Energy Secretary emphasized that Washington’s broader policy toward Russia had not changed despite the temporary flexibility extended to India.

He added that India had already shifted much of its energy sourcing away from Russian crude.

“India is very clear on that. They had displaced all Russian oil imports. And they were raising their imports from the United States, from Venezuela, and other nations. India’s been a great partner through this,” Wright said. (IANS)