NEW DELHI: Russia remained the largest source of crude for India in April, supplying 1.6 million barrels a day (mbd), followed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Venezuela and Qatar, data from shipment-tracking firm Kpler has shown.India imported nearly 4.4 mbd of crude in April, marginally lower than in March (4.5 mbd) and 85% of Feb shipments (5.2 mbd), amid the ongoing disruption of supply flows through Strait of Hormuz. Supplies from Russia were down 20% from nearly 2 mbd in March, which was the highest since May last year. While Saudi Arabia (685,000 barrels a day) and UAE (575,000 barrels a day) ramped up supplies, India resumed imports from Iran and Venezuela to plug the gap caused by disruptions from other West Asian nations.

No shipments arrived from Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar or Saudi-Kuwait neutral zone in April, despite Iraq usually being among India’s top crude suppliers.While shipments from Saudi Arabia came through East-West crude pipeline, the UAE sent consignments via ADCOP pipeline to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman. Supplies from other Gulf producers continue to depend largely on the Strait of Hormuz. ‘India’s LPG import situation to remain tight in near term’ For the first time since March 2019, Indian refiners also sourced nearly 1.3 lakh barrels of oil a day from Iran in April, after the US eased sanctions for a month to help reduce global crude prices. They also secured about 2.9 lakh barrels a day from Venezuela after a gap of 11 months.Imports of LPG fell to less than 1 million tonnes (MT) in April, down from 2-2.2 MT during the pre-crisis months. Data showed that India received nearly 9.5 lakh tonnes of the primary cooking fuel in April, about 16% less than March shipments, which were estimated at a little over 1.1 MT. The supply gap was plugged by a 30% increase in domestic LPG production. With no resolution to the global energy crisis in sight, experts believe imports are likely to remain affected in the near future.“India is, therefore, likely to continue facing tight LPG import availability in the near term. The situation remains sensitive, as disruptions of Middle East supply, India’s key sourcing region, are keeping import availability constrained,” said Sumit Ritolia, lead analyst at Kpler. The diversification of supplies from non-Gulf countries – including the US, Australia, Canada, Norway and Russia – helped India secure 1.9 million tonnes of natural gas in April, up from 1.6 MT in March.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he would remove tariffs and restrictions on whiskey linked to trade between Scotland and the US state of Kentucky.In a post on Truth Social he wrote, “In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland and Kentucky. People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great Inter-Country Trade, especially having to do with the Wooden Barrels used. The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the USA.”This comes after King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the White House on a state visit, during which trade ties and cultural relations between the United Kingdom and the United States were discussed. The visit also included conversations around strengthening economic cooperation between key industries in both countries.According to Trump’s post, the decision was influenced by long-standing trade links between Scotland’s whisky industry and Kentucky’s bourbon sector, particularly the exchange of materials such as wooden barrels used in production. He also suggested that the royal visit played a role in encouraging the policy shift.The announcement comes against the backdrop of earlier tariff measures introduced by the Trump administration in 2025, which included a 10% baseline tariff on most British goods. Those measures had raised concerns in the Scotch whisky industry, which relies heavily on exports, particularly to the United States.Trade representatives had earlier warned that such tariffs could increase pressure on distillers and impact a sector that depends significantly on international markets.Following the latest announcement, the move is expected to be welcomed by the whisky industry. Industry representatives said distillers would be able to “breathe a little easier during a period of significant pressure on the sector,” Reuters reported.