The United States has offered to help India navigate an intensifying energy crisis as Washington simultaneously presses New Delhi over its purchases of Russian oil, creating a fresh test for the India-US relationship.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is “well-positioned to help regional partners address their energy security challenges” after meeting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The message came as India faces growing pressure from a new U.S. sanctions law targeting countries that continue significant energy trade with Russia and Iran. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump last week, authorises tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy, including India and China.
Jaishankar used his meeting with Rubio to convey India’s economic and strategic concerns over the sanctions legislation. The two ministers also discussed the conflict in the Gulf and the war in Ukraine.
The timing is particularly sensitive for India. The country imports more than 88% of its crude oil requirements, while Russia currently accounts for nearly half of those imports. With energy flows through key West Asian routes under severe pressure, sharply reducing Russian supplies could create additional challenges for Indian energy security.
Washington, meanwhile, has been seeking to increase U.S. oil and gas sales to India. U.S. crude shipments averaged about 177,000 barrels per day during the first eight months of 2026, making America India’s sixth-largest crude supplier during the period, according to Kpler data cited by The Indian Express.
The shift is even more pronounced in liquefied natural gas. U.S. LNG imports into India jumped 172% year-on-year between April and July to 2.39 million tonnes, as supplies from traditional West Asian suppliers fell sharply amid the regional crisis.
Trump has said the new sanctions law gives him broad authority to impose tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil. The legislation also includes provisions allowing the U.S. president to waive its measures, giving India a potential route to seek relief.
For New Delhi, the challenge is now balancing energy security, its long-standing strategic ties with Russia and an increasingly important trade and economic relationship with the United States.
Rubio’s offer of energy assistance, coming alongside Washington’s sanctions pressure, signals that the two countries are trying to manage competing interests at a moment when disruptions across West Asia are reshaping global energy flows.
The immediate focus will be on whether Washington and New Delhi can find room for an energy arrangement that protects India’s supply needs while addressing U.S. demands over Russian energy purchases.
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Mohd Hassan has extensive experience in news gathering, editing, and writing for the newswire industry, Contact – Info@impactnews-wire.com
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