India stands at a challenging crossroads. A proposed US Senate bill threatening a 500% tariff on countries importing Russian oil has cast a long shadow over India’s energy security. With nearly half of its oil now sourced from Russia, India could be forced to choose between economic pragmatism and geopolitical alignment.

But is this truly a binary choice? Or does India still have space to maneuver, through diplomacy, diversification, and deeper strategic thinking?

India’s oil imports from Russia have been guided by cost and continuity. Since early 2022, Russian barrels, trading $7–8 cheaper than Middle Eastern crude, have helped India shield its economy from energy-driven inflation. According to ICRA’s report covering April 2024 to February 2025, India saved approximately $7.9 billion on its oil import bill by purchasing discounted Russian crude, a notable increase from $5.1 billion in the previous fiscal year.

Yet in Washington, this pragmatic calculus is seen through a geopolitical lens. The draft Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham, attempts to globalize America’s war priorities by punishing countries that don’t align with its sanctions regime. For India, however, strategic autonomy has never meant passive neutrality. It means independent policy calibration, guided by long-term national interest, not momentary external pressure.

While New Delhi has publicly avoided direct confrontation, Indian officials have quietly engaged with US lawmakers to explain the rationale behind continued Russian oil imports. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s remark that India will “cross that bridge when we come to it” has drawn varied interpretations, some see it as calculated........

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