Indian Energy Giant Cuts Russia Oil Flow After Wong Urges Supply Chain Caution

One of India’s biggest private refiners has stopped buying Russian crude, just a day after Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong publicly urged New Delhi to ensure its supply chains were not indirectly supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Reliance Industries (RIL), India’s largest importer of Russian oil, confirmed it has ceased shipments of Russian-origin crude to its export-focused Jamnagar refinery.

Wong, in India for high-level talks, has pressed concerns about Russian fuel entering Australia after being refined in third countries.

In a statement widely reported in Indian media, RIL said it halted Russian crude at its Special Economic Zone refinery from Nov. 20 to comply early with European Union restrictions.

“From 1 December, all product exports from the SEZ refinery will be obtained from non-Russian crude oil,” the company said in a statement published in The Indian Express, adding that the transition was completed ahead of schedule.

Reliance operates the world’s largest refining complex and accounts for roughly half of all Russian crude arriving in India.

Wong Welcomes Shift

Wong immediately praised the move, framing it as consistent with Australia’s sanctions regime and moral stance on Ukraine.

“Australia has imposed very strict sanctions and other trade measures … to restrict the import, purchase and transport of oil coming from, or that originated in Russia,” she said.

“We think the war in Ukraine is both illegal and immoral and contrary to global interests and our national interests.”

She stressed that Australians expect companies to ensure their supply chains do not “inadvertently” support Russia’s invasion.

“So in that context, can I acknowledge the positive engagement with Reliance Industries and acknowledge the steps they have announced,” she said.

Reliance’s announcement also follows a startling analysis earlier this year showing Australia had unintentionally become a major indirect buyer of Russian-origin fuel—importing more than $3.7 billion worth refined in India and Turkey, despite pledging $1.5 billion in aid to Ukraine.

China Questions Follow

Wong’s visit also mirrored domestic debate back home, with Indian journalists pressing her on whether China represents Australia’s biggest security challenge.

“China is consequential in the world and in the region,” she said, noting that India understands this well.

Australia, she stressed, wants a relationship “where we can cooperate … but we continue to protect and assert our national interests.”

On whether Australia would intervene militarily if Beijing moved on Taiwan, Wong would not entertain the hypothetical.

“I don’t think any foreign minister is going to respond to hypotheticals,” she said. “What I would say is … we don’t want to see any unilateral change to the status quo.” Australia maintains strategic ambiguity on Taiwan, refusing to say whether it would provide military help if China attacked.

Wong was also pushed on economic ties with China after a new study ranked Australia among the top 10 destinations for Chinese investment—fueling questions about how Australia can “protect its interests” while remaining economically intertwined.

“We’ve made clear to the Australian business community that we want to continue to see more diversification. India is a very important part of that, so is South East Asia,” Wong said.

It comes a week after a sharp warning from ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, who confirmed Chinese state-backed hackers have pivoted from “espionage to sabotage,” targeting Australia’s critical infrastructure.

Burgess estimated espionage and foreign interference cost the Australian economy $12.5 billion last year, naming Chinese groups Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon as key perpetrators.

Rising Tensions at Sea

Questions then turned to whether the South China Sea could become a flashpoint.

“I think we all worry about the potential for escalation in our region,” she said.

“Escalation can also be because people make inaccurate judgments about the meaning [or] the strategic intent behind the other’s behaviour.”

Wong highlighted Australia’s work with ASEAN on conflict prevention, including more robust military-to-military communication to avoid incidents spiralling into crises.

Her comments follow a recent episode in which a Chinese fighter jet released flares dangerously close to an Australian P-8A patrol aircraft over the South China Sea—an incident Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised directly with Beijing.

Australia has since joined joint maritime patrols with the United States, Philippines and New Zealand to uphold freedom of navigation in contested waters.

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