The United States has reached out to India asking it to purchase stored Russian oil as Washington scrambles to ease surging global energy prices triggered by the Middle East war, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.

“We have reached out to our friends in India to buy stored Russian oil. That pulls oil into Indian refineries and releases pressure on other global refineries," Wright said.

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The move signals Washington’s urgency in finding immediate solutions to an energy crisis that has seen oil prices threaten to spike to $150 a barrel- a direct consequence of disrupted Gulf energy supplies and the growing threat to the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump, however, struck a dismissive tone when asked about rising fuel prices.

“That’s alright, it’ll be short term, it’ll go way down very quickly," he said.

Why Is US Reaching Out To India?

The logic behind the approach is straightforward: if India absorbs more Russian oil into its refining system, it frees up supply from other global refineries to meet the demand gaps created by the Gulf disruption- bringing prices down without requiring a military or diplomatic solution to the underlying conflict. India has been one of the largest buyers of discounted Russian oil since Western sanctions were imposed on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, making it a natural partner.

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The outreach to India also reflects how limited Washington’s short-term options actually are. Qatar has declared force majeure on LNG exports after an Iranian drone strike hit its Ras Laffan facility. Gulf energy exporters are under sustained Iranian attack and the Strait of Hormuz – through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass – remains under threat with no immediate resolution in sight as war in West Asia continues.

Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News