Reliance got one-month reprieve from US sanctions on oil imports from Russia: report
By Unnikrishnan | 25 Dec 2025
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), India’s largest private sector oil refiner, is reported to have obtained short-term permission from the United States to receive oil cargoes supplied by Russia’s Rosneft, which is under sanctions by the US government. The permission is to import oil cargoes that were contracted before the sanctions were announced, the reports add.
US had, earlier, given oil buyers time until 21 November 2025 to complete shipments. However, RIL had since delayed crude imports from Russia. The extended deadline gave RIL time till 21 December for completing the oil shipments, reports cited company sources as saying.
In October, the US imposed sanctions on two Russian oil companies, viz, Rosneft and Lukoil. Reliance has a long-term contract for sourcing 5,00,000 bpd of crude, which is mainly consumed at its 1.4 million bpd refinery complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Reliance had signed a 25-year contract with Rosneft to buy 25 million tonnes crude oil a year (around 5,00,000 barrels per day), but has been cutting imports of Russian oil for use at its export-oriented refinery following US and EU sanctions.
RIL has clarified that the waiver is for cargoes that were contracted before the announcement of sanctions, and not for new cargoes.
RIL has also said that any Russian oil arriving after 20 November will be processed at its 660,000 bpd refinery that serves the domestic market, allowing the company to continue fuel exports to the European Union from its 740,000 bpd export-oriented refinery.
The EU has denied market access for fuel processed from Russian crude beyond 21 January 2026. Also, any such imports will be