Two informed sources told Reuters that India has refused to buy liquefied natural gas from Russia, which is subject to US sanctions. The agency notes that this decision was taken despite the fuel shortage that many countries faced due to the war in the Middle East.
The Indian authorities notified Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin of the refusal to purchase Russian liquefied natural gas during his visit to the country on April 30. Agency sources said that Sorokin intends to visit India in June to conduct a new round of negotiations.
According to Reuters, India announced its refusal to buy fuel when a tanker loaded with Russian liquefied natural gas was already heading towards it. We are talking about the ship “Kunping”, which according to the documents, the goods on board are not Russian. Meanwhile, the tanker departed from a Russian port in the Baltic Sea, and its crew indicated an Indian port as its destination. As of May 11, Reuters wrote, the tanker was located near Singapore and had not indicated where it would go next.
India is one of the world’s largest energy importers. This country, in particular, is actively buying Russian oil. The United States temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil imports in order to stabilize global energy prices, which rose sharply due to the suspension of transit through the Strait of Hormuz.