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Reports suggest Russia will take care of shipping and insurance, two major hurdles before India due to high insurance rates and war risk premiums. The payment for such purchases can be made through a rupee-ruble arrangement.
India has, in any case, been trying to cut its oil dependence on the Gulf countries and diversify to Russia and the US.
The world’s third-largest crude importer has been traditionally buying Brent crude. But a nearly $25-discount for the Urals, Russia’s flagship crude blend, is lucrative enough for a shift.