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The monthly magazine, September 2026 · Global Affairs and International Relations › Russia and Ukraine

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India between Russia and Ukraine: outreach, oil and the American sanctions law

LeadPrelims and MainsSeptember 2026

Why in news

On 18 September 2026 the United States enacted the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which allows tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, a group that includes India. Two weeks earlier the External Affairs Minister had made the first dedicated visit by an Indian foreign minister to Kyiv.

Background

Since February 2022 India has not condemned Russia by name, has abstained on most United Nations votes on the war, and has said that this is not an era of war and the conflict must end through dialogue.
India has kept buying Russian crude, which was about 30 per cent of its imports in 2025-26 by the estimate of the Global Trade Research Initiative, and a record of nearly 52 per cent in July 2026, as Gulf supplies were disrupted.
The war reaches India through its seafarers in the Black Sea, where four Indians were killed on a ship off Odesa in July, and through Indians recruited into the Russian army.
In 2025 the United States had imposed a penalty tariff on India for Russian oil by executive order; a court later struck down those emergency tariffs.

What happened in September

Kyiv and Warsaw: the minister met Ukraine's President, noted India's humanitarian consignments, and reviewed India's action plan with Poland.
Not a mediator: India said it was in touch with both capitals to see whether its ideas could help, while denying any mediation.
The law: passed by the House 262 to 159 and signed on 18 September, it permits tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, with wide presidential discretion and waivers. Unlike an executive order, a law passed by Congress carries permanence.
New Delhi: India said it would protect its energy security and study the law before taking it up with Washington.

India's stakes

Energy: Russian crude kept India's import bill down when Hormuz was closed; a tariff of 100 per cent on exports to the United States would far outweigh that saving.
Defence: Russia remains a major supplier, and spares and the S-400 system tie India to it for years.
Strategic autonomy is tested: India is being asked to choose between its largest market and its oldest supplier.
Nationals: the Ministry of External Affairs warned again in September against job offers that lead to the Russian army.

India's three links to the war: Russian oil, seafarers in the Black Sea and the American sanctions law, with Russia's share of Indian crude from 2022 to July 2026.Source: Ministry of External Affairs; The Hindu

The difficulty

A law with waivers gives the American President a lever to use in the trade talks, which is how the two issues have merged.
Russia's share of Indian oil has tracked price, availability and American pressure: it fell to about 19 per cent in February 2026 under the penalty tariff and rose to 52 per cent in July when Gulf supplies were cut.
The law reaches the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, a group that includes India.

The way forward

Seek a waiver on energy security grounds while the West Asia war keeps Gulf supplies uncertain.
Cut the Russian share as Gulf flows return, by diversifying rather than by decree.
Keep the Kyiv channel open: it costs little and answers the charge of one sidedness.
Build a seafarers' protection mechanism, as India proposed at the BRICS Summit in September.

Prelims facts

The Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 allows tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas.
Russia's share of India's crude imports reached nearly 52 per cent in July 2026.
India abstained on the February 2026 United Nations resolution for an unconditional ceasefire.
The Prime Minister visited Kyiv in August 2024; the External Affairs Minister in September 2026.
Odesa is Ukraine's main port on the Black Sea.

Earlier coverage: India, Russia and Ukraine · The monthly magazine, September 2026