But while the Indian government may not be deterred by Trump's threats, sources told Reuters this week that Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian oil after July discounts narrowed to their lowest since 2022 - when sanctions were first imposed on Moscow - due to lower Russian exports and steady demand.

India hasn’t given the country’s oil refiners instructions to stop buying Russian oil, according to people familiar, days after US President Donald Trump blasted New Delhi for the energy purchases.

The Indian government has "not given any direction to oil companies" to reduce Russian imports, one senior official told the New York Times.