Russia says ties with New Delhi helped soften Iran war's energy shock

Russia says its ties with New Delhi helped "significantly mitigate" the impact of the Iran war and global energy trade disruptions, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko. The statement follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's remark that India, Turkey, and China could force Russia to stop fighting by halting energy trade. Zelensky made the comment in a Wall Street Journal interview, prompting Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to respond that India's oil purchases would not resolve the Russia-Ukraine crisis and that India must address the energy needs of its 1.4 billion people. India boosted Russian oil imports after US-Iran tensions blocked the Strait of Hormuz, though Reuters data shows imports fell 16.5% in August to about 2.1 million barrels per day, with Russia still the top supplier. Zelensky also welcomed a US sanctions bill that could impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries importing Russian products and oil, potentially affecting India and China. India's foreign ministry has not reacted to reports of falling Russian imports.