India plans to lift its purchases of Russian crude oil in September even after the United States doubled tariffs on Indian goods in an effort to curb the trade. The 50% levy, introduced on 27 August, seeks to pressure New Delhi to scale back energy ties with Moscow, yet Indian officials say the dispute will be addressed through negotiations rather than an immediate change in sourcing strategy. Trading sources cited by Reuters said Indian refiners have provisionally booked 10–20% more Russian barrels for September—an additional 150,000–300,000 barrels a day—compared with August deliveries of about 1.5 million barrels a day. The extra volumes follow planned maintenance and Ukrainian drone strikes that have sidelined up to 17% of Russia’s refining capacity, prompting exporters to widen the discount on Urals crude to $2–$3 a barrel below dated Brent from about $1.50 in August. Russia now covers roughly 40% of India’s oil demand, a flow analysts at BNP Paribas and CLSA expect to persist given the price advantage, despite the new U.S. tariff and a tighter European Union price cap of $47.60 a barrel that takes effect on 2 September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met President Vladimir Putin last week, continues to balance relations with both Washington and Moscow as refiners such as Reliance Industries and Russian-backed Nayara Energy secure discounted supplies.