
Why did EU sanction Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery in Gujarat? What we know so far
Here's all you need to know about EU sanctions on Nayara Energy's oil refinery in Gujarat:
The new EU sanctions include a lower oil price cap, the designation of the "biggest Rosneft refinery in India", and measures aimed at 105 more shadow fleet ships.
"Full-fledged sanctions target Russian and international companies managing shadow fleet vessels, traders of Russian crude oil and a major customer of the shadow fleet – a refinery in India with Rosneft as its main shareholder," the EU was quoted by PTI as saying.
The EU was referring to Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery in Gujarat.
The 18th package of sanctions by the 27-nation EU included a set of measures largely aimed at curbing Russia's oil and energy sector's revenues.
The measures also included reducing the oil price cap from $60 to about $48 a barrel. They also introduced an import ban on refined petroleum products made from Russian crude oil and coming from any third country—with the exception of Canada, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
According to Reuters, Russian energy giant Rosneft has a 49.13 percent stake in Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery in Gujarat.
The ownership of Nayara is currently split between Rosneft and SPV Kesani Enterprises Co. Ltd., an investment consortium. The remaining shares are held by retail investors.
Nayara operates a 400,000-barrels-per-day refinery and owns nearly 7,000 fuel outlets across India. It is also developing an integrated petrochemicals plant next to its refinery.
Hours after the EU announced the new measures, India said there should be "no double standards", especially when it comes to energy trade.
"India does not subscribe to any unilateral sanction measures. We are a responsible actor and remain fully committed to our legal obligations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"The government of India considers the provision of energy security a responsibility of paramount importance to meet the basic needs of its citizens," he said.
Jaiswal also said, "We would stress that there should be no double standards, especially when it comes to energy trade."
Russian energy giant Rosneft's plan to sell its stake in India-based Nayara Energy Ltd. may be imperiled by fresh restrictions from the European Union.
According to Bloomberg, Rosneft held talks with Reliance Industries Ltd., owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, for a possible stake sale in Nayara.
However, the sanctions will make it difficult for Reliance to buy a stake in its competitor as it might jeopardise the company's business in Europe, a region that regularly imports Indian fuels including diesel.
Reliance Jamnagar processor, the world's largest refining complex, is within a few kilometers of Nayara's Vadinar unit.
Rosneft has been keen to exit its India venture as the company hasn't been able to repatriate its earnings due to the sanctions, according to local media reports.
India's oil imports from Russia rose marginally in the first half of this year, with private refiners Reliance Industries Ltd and Nayara Energy making about half of the overall purchases from Moscow.
As per data cited by Reuters, India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, received about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil in January-June this year, up 1% from a year ago.
Russia continued to be the top supplier to India, accounting for about 35% of India's overall supplies, followed by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, the data showed.
In case Russian supplies are hit, Indian Oil Corp will "go back to the same template [of supplies] as was used pre-Ukraine crisis when Russian supplies to India were below 2%," company Chairman A.S. Sahney told reporters at the event.
Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday that India is confident of meeting its oil needs from alternative sources if Russian supplies are hit by secondary sanctions.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump warned that countries purchasing Russian exports could face sanctions if Moscow fails to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 50 days.
"I'm not worried at all. If something happens, we'll deal with it," Puri said at an industry event in New Delhi. "India has diversified the sources of supply and we have gone, I think, from about 27 countries that we used to buy from to about 40 countries now," he said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Mint
28 minutes ago
- Mint
‘More likely to happen in Lagaan': Harsh Goenka takes swipe at Donald Trump over ‘Pakistan may sell oil to India' remark
RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka has reacted to President Donald Trump's announcement on the US-Pakistan trade deal. He compared the idea of Pakistan selling oil to India to cricket and the popular Bollywood film Lagaan, while stating it to be possible in theory but unrealistic in practice. In a post on the social media platform X, Goenka wrote, 'Saying Pakistan will sell oil to India is like saying a tailender will hit a triple century in a T20 match. Technically possible. Realistically? More likely to happen in Lagaan than in real life.' Goenka's post comes after Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Pakistan on his official TruthSocial handle. "We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,' Trump wrote. He highlighted a possibility of Pakistan expanding regional trade and noted, 'Who knows, maybe they'll be selling Oil to India some day!' Several social media users have reacted to Goenka's post, sharing their opinion on Trump's announcement. One of the users wrote, 'Fiction has limits, Sir... this one crossed genres.' Another user stated, 'Sure definitely looking forward to the same. Payment will be made in Cash in old ₹ 1000 bills that India has absolutely abolished.' 'Mind games at play!' noted one of the users. In another post on X, Goenka also responded to Trump's announcement on imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, while assuring that there is no need to panic. '25% tariff? Sounds steep. But no need to panic. India, in fact, remains better positioned than many peers, barring a few like Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and South Korea,' he wrote. 'And knowing India Inc, we will do what we do best- find innovative workarounds, turn adversity into advantage, and bring some classic jugaad into play. And who knows, with some clever diplomacy….might just become part of the next trade meal deal," Goenka added.


India.com
30 minutes ago
- India.com
India-US trade deal: US says Trump 'frustrated' with India due to...; Rubio flags India-Russia oil trade as 'point of irritation', says...
(File) India-US trade deal: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday said that President Donald Trump and the whole trade negotiation team have been 'frustrated' with India over the trade talks, even as Secretary of State Marco Rubio flagged New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil as a 'point of irritation' in India-US relations. 'Well, I don't know what's going to happen. It will be up to India. India came to the table early. They've been slow rolling things. So I think that the President, the whole trade team, has been frustrated with them,' Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. He also said India has been a large buyer of sanctioned Russian oil, which they then resell as refined products. 'So, they have not been a great global actor,' he added. Bessent's comments came a day after Trump announced the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment. 'Point of irritation' in India-US ties Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday claimed that India's oil purchases are helping Moscow to sustain its war efforts in Ukraine, and said it is 'most certainly a point of irritation' in New Delhi's relationship with Washington. 'Look, global trade – India is an ally. It's a strategic partner. Like anything in foreign policy, you're not going to align 100 per cent of the time on everything,' Rubio said in an interview with Fox Radio. Rubio acknowledged India has 'huge energy needs and that includes the ability to buy oil and coal and gas and things that it needs to power its economy like every country does, and it buys it from Russia, because Russian oil is sanctioned and cheap and – meaning they have to – in many cases, they're selling it under the global price because of the sanctions.' He added that 'unfortunately, that is helping to sustain the Russian war effort. So it is most certainly a point of irritation in our relationship with India – not the only point of irritation. We also have many other points of cooperation with them. 'But I think what you're seeing the President express is the very clear frustration that with so many other oil vendors available, India continues to buy so much from Russia, which in essence is helping to fund the war effort' and allowing this war to continue in Ukraine. Trump tariffs on India The comments by top Trump administration officials came a day after Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment. Trump's surprise announcement on Wednesday is being seen as a pressure tactic to get New Delhi to agree to demands made by the US, which has, in recent days, got favourable trade deals with major partners like Japan, the UK and the European Union. India has said it will take all necessary steps to safeguard and promote national interest and that the implications of the tariffs are being examined. (With PTI inputs)


The Print
30 minutes ago
- The Print
Centre denies permission to Punjab minister Harbhajan Singh to visit US
Political leaders require clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs for travelling abroad. Singh was to participate in the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit 2025, scheduled to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA from August 4 to 6. Chandigarh, Jul 31 (PTI) The Union government has denied political clearance to Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh for his planned visit to the US, sources said on Thursday. Singh has not been given political clearance by the Union government for visiting the US, the sources said. The invitation to Singh was extended jointly by the NCSL and National Legislators' Conference Bharat (NLC Bharat). The NCSL Legislative Summit 2025 is one of the largest gatherings of legislative leaders, staff experts and policymakers worldwide, creating an environment filled with unparalleled learning, networking and inspiration opportunities. The summit would feature open sessions covering various aspects of governance, professional development workshops and networking events designed to facilitate knowledge exchange among legislative colleagues from different countries and jurisdictions, according to an official release issued on July 28. Last year, the Centre denied political clearance to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his visit to Paris to support the Indian hockey team at the Olympic Games. Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was also denied political clearance for going to participate in a legislature conference in the US in August last year. In 2022, minister Aman Arora was also denied political clearance for a knowledge sharing study tour to Europe. PTI CHS VSD DIV DIV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.