India Rejects Sanctioned Russian Liquefied Natural Gas Cargoes Amid West Asia Energy Crisis on 12 May 2026

Key facts

• India has declined an offer from Russia to purchase Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) sourced from sanctioned projects, specifically Portovaya LNG and Arctic LNG 2.
• The decision was discussed during a meeting on 30 April between Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin and India’s Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
• An LNG shipment aboard the tanker Kunpeng, originating from the Portovaya plant, was unable to discharge at the Dahej LNG terminal in Gujarat and was later tracked near Singapore.
• The United States (US) has intensified sanctions on Russian energy exports, which are easier to monitor than crude oil due to advanced satellite tracking systems for LNG vessels.
• Russia is pursuing long-term supply agreements with India for LNG and fertilisers, including potash, phosphorus, and urea, to address energy security risks in the West Asia region.