Indian refiners are expected to boost oil imports from Russia in the coming months, as trade talks with Washington drag on and discounts widen amid ample supplies, according to a Bloomberg report.

Discounts on Urals crude loading in November are $2-to-$2.50 a barrel to dated Brent, according to sources. That’s cheaper than discounts of about $1 a barrel in July-August, when supplies were tight due to Moscow’s prioritising local customers.

For the current month, ship-tracking data point to an uptick in arrivals. Crude imports from Russia could average about 1.7 million barrels a day in October, according to Kpler. That would be about 6 per cent higher month-on-month, but slightly lower than last year’s pace.

The US imposed a punitive 50 per cent levy on US imports of Indian goods in August in a bid to pressure New Delhi to curb its appetite for Russian oil, although it has refrained from similar action against China, another major buyer. In response, India made plain the deals are price-driven and would continue, although it has also signalled it wants to buy more US energy amid recent reconciliatory talks with Washington.