The intervention of the United States in Venezuela and a possible establishment of an interim administration under the supervision of Washington could open an escape valve for India's energy security, when it comes to replacing its imports of Russian crude oil with Venezuelan oil.
This shift would allow New Delhi to avoid the “tariff war” threatened by Donald Trump's administration, which has imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods if the country continued to buy crude oil from Moscow.
Caracas can offer Indian refiners renewed access to Venezuelan heavy crude (type Merey 16), considered the ideal technical substitute to fuel the country's high-tech complexes, such as those operated by Reliance Industries, which until now depended on Russian supplies to maintain their profit margins.
