Alexey Belogoryev, Research and Development Director of the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to Business FM on India's reaction to new US sanctions against the Russian oil industry.
— India's interest in Russian oil supplies remains very high, therefore, on the one hand, it is complying with the sanctions, and on the other, it is looking for any other opportunities to circumvent them and continue importing. When sanctions are imposed, a serious legal assessment of possible risks is carried out, respectively, if the contract for the sanctioned insurance company is extended, it means that lawyers have made sure that in this case the threat of secondary sanctions is minimal, specifically in relation to the insurance company. Let's say the attitude towards tankers is different, we have repeatedly seen when Indian ports refused tankers from the sanctions list. India's approach is extremely pragmatic and realistic, and in each case there is such a risk assessment, and further actions depend on what this assessment is.
— What impact does the arrival of Trump have on all these processes, if at all?
— As long as the risk of secondary sanctions remains legally high, India will be extremely cautious about such shipments, even if the Trump administration tries to ignore any violations. Here, it seems to me, unlike China, India has a much more cautious approach.

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