Indians “had been very good actors” on buying crude oil from Russia, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has said in fresh overnight remarks that could raise heckles for the Narendra Modi government, which has come under Opposition fire for kowtowing to the Trump administration's diktats. Expressions such as “waiver” and “allow” in Washington’s 30-day leeway to Indian refiners to buy Russian oil – announced via social media on Friday – have prompted the Opposition to ask whether India has become a “vassal state”. “Yesterday, the Treasury Department agreed to let our allies in India start buying Russian oil that was already on the water.."The Indians had been very good actors,” he added. “We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil.

Source: The Telegraph March 07, 2026 10:01 UTC