Russia is offering India steep discounts on the direct sale of oil as mounting international pressure lowers the appetite for its barrels elsewhere following the invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions-hit nation is offering its flagship Urals grade to India at discounts of as much as $35 a barrel on prices before the war to encourage India to lift more shipments, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential deliberations. Headline Brent prices have risen about $10 since then, implying an even larger reduction from current prices.