India has refused to accept Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, even despite the shortage of energy resources caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This is reported by Reuters, citing two sources.
It is claimed, in particular, that the tanker Kunpeng with Russian LNG was on its way to India as early as mid-April. Now, however, this vessel, which never entered the Indian port, is in the area of Singapore, the port of its destination is not specified, what will happen to its cargo, it is not clear.
According to Reuters, the gas was loaded onto a tanker at the Gazprom LNG-Portovaya terminal in the Baltic Sea. It is under US sanctions. During the visit of Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin to New Delhi on 30 April, Indian representatives, according to the agency, told him of the decision not to buy LNG, which is under sanctions.
India is still ready to buy Russian gas, which is not under sanctions, but most of it is already sent to Europe, as well as to China, which, however, still buys sub-sanctioned Russian LNG.
In April, it became known that against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, EU countries significantly increased their imports of Russian liquefied natural gas in the first quarter of 2026.