New Delhi: Despite the punishing penalty and mounting pressure by the US, India has continued to buy oil from Russia and is even reaping a bigger discount.State-owned refiners including the Indian Oil Corp Ltd (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) have continued to buy oil from Russian suppliers.Negotiations are also underway for spot deals, reported Mint, citing two people in the know of the developments.One of the two people mentioned in the report stated that over the past few days, two cargoes of Russian oil had been purchased by Indian refiners with better discounts than usual.“OMCs (oil marketing companies) are negotiating for Russian oil supplies currently. There is no decision as to go slow or stop Russian oil. They (Russian supplies) may have declined amid cheaper global oil prices and narrowing discounts in the past, but there is no decision on halting imports from Russia. Although discounts have declined from the highs, of late, there has been a spike of around $1 per barrel in discounts in the latest few deals,” said the person cited in the Mint report..The person added that the last two or three cargoes have been booked at a discount of up to $3 a barrel, as compared to around $1.7 discount in the earlier purchases.With US President Donald Trump’s censure of India for its Russian energy purchases, it is likely to rise further.The discounts on Russian oil have narrowed down to single-digit from the high of around $30 per barrel in 2022.On July 30, Trump had announced a 25% tariff on Indian exports, starting 7 August. He also imposed a penalty for India’s energy and defence purchases from Russia, which has been berated for its war with Ukraine.Meanwhile, at least four oil tankers laden with Russian crude are waiting off India’s western coast, reported Bloomberg.According to ship tracking data, the Achilles and Elyte are currently anchored near Jamnagar. The vessels were slated to discharge at Sikka on August 2 and 3, after picking up cargoes in late June from Primorsk and Ust Luga, where Russia’s flagship Urals crude is usually loaded.Both the tankers have been sanctioned by the EU and UK.Achilles and Elyte, both Aframaxes, have the oil-carrying capacity of around 700,000 barrels each. The Sikka port serves both the Reliance Industries Ltd. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd, said the Bloomberg report.The ship tracking data indicates that Destan and Horae, two other tankers are also idling further off the coast with Urals crude after picking up their cargoes between June 24 and July 1.Destan, which is sanctioned by the EU and UK, is expected to reach Sikka in the coming days.