India Urges Refiners to Boost US, Venezuelan Oil Imports Amid Trade Deal Scrutiny

• India asks state-owned refiners to consider buying more US and Venezuelan crude oil.
• Move follows a trade deal with the Trump administration, which claimed India pledged to stop importing Russian barrels.
• Refiners are urged to prioritize US grades in spot market tenders and source Venezuelan crude via private talks.
• Challenges include US crude's light and sweet nature, not optimal for Indian units, and higher freight rates for US oil.
• Indian refiners recently purchased about 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, near their monthly processing limit for heavy, sour crude.