[India considers reducing purchases of Russian crude oil] September 22: As the new U.S. sanctions bill officially comes into effect, the risk of imposing punitive tariffs on countries that purchase Russian crude oil has increased. Indian refiners currently arranging crude oil shipments for November may reduce their purchases of Russian crude oil. As the world's third largest crude oil importer, India's crude oil imports from Russia once accounted for more than half of total imports in recent months in response to high oil prices and continued supply disruptions in the Middle East. However, according to people involved in relevant discussions, in the past few days, India's major oil refiners have begun to seriously search for alternative oil cargoes. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. In order to get rid of its status as the largest buyer of Russian seaborne crude oil, New Delhi may limit the proportion of Russian crude oil imports to 20% to 30% of India's total imports in the short term, people familiar with the matter said. In the meantime, India will continue consultations with the United States.