Indian refiners are increasing their intake of American oil as falling prices make it more appealing, at the same time the United States is pressing New Delhi to scale back its dealings with Moscow.

Market sources say Reliance Industries, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) have all secured larger volumes of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude this week. The US grade has grown more competitive, trading at a weaker level compared with Middle Eastern supplies.

None of the companies provided immediate comment.

The buying shift follows tougher rhetoric from Washington. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine through continued purchases of Russian barrels, warning that New Delhi must reconsider. His comments came after the US government hiked tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent.

India has rejected the criticism, calling the measures heavy-handed and insisting that while Russian imports have slowed, they have not been entirely phased out.

With oil benchmarks under pressure, refiners in the world’s third-largest crude market appear to be using discounted American barrels to manage both costs and diplomatic tensions.