India defies US curbs: Russian oil imports at record high in February

US shipments to India fell 58% from last year

India continues to defy US-led sanctions on Moscow, as over one in three barrels of crude oil flowing to India in February came from Russia, shipping data shows.
 

India imported about 51 million barrels of crude oil from Russia in February, 16 per cent higher than the 44 million barrels imported in January, according to data from Paris-based commodity market intelligence firm Kpler.
 

In fact, India was the world’s biggest importer of Russian oil in February, exceeding China by 20 million barrels, because India buys a cheaper Urals blend, which falls outside the purview of US-led sanctions, announced in early