What the New York message covered
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on 23 September. Jaishankar said he had reiterated India's interests and concerns about the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (SRIA), and the talks also covered Ukraine and Iran. Rubio's post after the meeting spoke of the strategic partnership and regional priorities and did not name the Act.[1]
The law provides for tariffs of up to 100% on countries that buy Russian oil. It could affect India if applied after a one-month period. Jaishankar did not reject the authority; he put the concern on the table.[1]
The limit in the Ural share
Russian Ural crude makes up 51% of India's total crude oil imports. The ministry had already told US interlocutors that pressure to drop that intake would have implications for the bilateral relationship and the international energy market. With the share at that level, an abrupt cut would squeeze fuel at home and the partnership language abroad at the same time.[1]
A concern beside an unchanged share
The New York meeting left the 51% Ural share and the partnership language side by side. The sign that the concern has changed a purchase is a tariff notice that uses the 100% ceiling, or a later figure that moves this share. If neither appears, the stated concern stands beside the intake that continues.[1]