First came the tariffs in August - 50% duties on Indian goods, dressed up as punishment for buying Russian oil.

Then came US President Donald Trump's claim on Wednesday that Indian PM Narendra Modi had privately agreed to end those purchases "within a short period of time".

Next day, Russia responded cautiously, while India distanced itself from his comments.

Russia's envoy in Delhi, Denis Alipov, said its oil was "very beneficial for the Indian economy and for the welfare of Indian people". The Indian government said its import policy was "guided by the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario", and later a spokesperson added he was unaware of "any conversation yesterday" between Modi and Trump.

Caught between an old ally in Moscow and mounting pressure from Washington, India's energy policy has become a delicate balancing act. But just how critical is Russian oil to the Indian economy?

Last year, India, the world's third-largest oil importer, bought $52.7bn of Russian crude - 37% of its oil bill - followed by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nigeria, and the US.

But how did India's energy mix come to look like this?

Before the Russian imports surged, India's top 10 crude suppliers in 2021-22 were Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US, Brazil, Kuwait, Mexico, Nigeria, and Oman. The remaining 31 countries formed a long tail of smaller, opportunistic deals that........

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