UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Trump asserts India cut import of Russian crude to please him

Q1. With reference to the response of Indian oil refiners to the U.S. sanctions of November 2025 on Rosneft and Lukoil, consider the following companies that halted or suspended Russian crude purchases: 1. Reliance Industries Limited 2. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) 3. HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) 4. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Reliance Industries Limited
  2. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL)
  3. HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL)
  4. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. Despite the sharp month-on-month decline triggered by U.S. sanctions, which country remained the single largest source of India's crude oil imports in December 2025?

  • A. Iraq
  • B. Saudi Arabia
  • C. United States
  • D. Russia

Q3. In the Government of India, the administrative ministry that is the nodal authority for crude oil import policy, refining and the public sector oil marketing companies is:

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Q4. The U.S. Treasury's October 2025 designation of Rosneft and Lukoil as Specially Designated Nationals was made under which one of the following legal authorities?

  • A. Executive Order 14024, administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
  • B. The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), 2017
  • C. The Magnitsky Act, 2012
  • D. Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act, 1974, administered by the USTR

Q5. With reference to the shift in India's crude oil sourcing pattern between calendar year 2024 and December 2025, consider the following statements: 1. Russia's share in India's crude basket declined from a peak of roughly 35–40% in CY2024 to about 27.4% in December 2025. 2. OPEC's combined share of India's crude imports rose to about 53.2% in December 2025, the highest in eleven months. 3. In December 2025, Iraq displaced Russia as India's single largest source of crude oil imports. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Russia's share in India's crude basket declined from a peak of roughly 35–40% in CY2024 to about 27.4% in December 2025.
  2. OPEC's combined share of India's crude imports rose to about 53.2% in December 2025, the highest in eleven months.
  3. In December 2025, Iraq displaced Russia as India's single largest source of crude oil imports.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3