Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has purchased 2 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude from Abu Dhabi through a spot tender to replace Russian oil following new US sanctions on Moscow’s top producers, trade sources said.

The December-loading cargo will be supplied by ADNOC Trading, one of the sources confirmed. The move comes after Washington imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, as part of efforts to pressure President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

A BPCL official said the company will continue purchasing Russian oil only from non-sanctioned entities. Currently, BPCL buys around 2 million metric tonnes (equivalent to 14.66 million barrels) of crude from the spot market each month, most of which is sourced from Russia.

The company aims to maintain approximately half of its current Russian supply by dealing with non-sanctioned firms, while the remainder will be replaced with crude from other origins, including the Middle East.

The purchase underscores India’s efforts to diversify its energy imports and mitigate supply risks amid shifting global trade dynamics and tightening sanctions.