'Saudi, Iraq charged premium': Puri on oil shift to Russia

Oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday alluded to India's pivot towards Russia after top suppliers like Saudi Arabia and Iraq started "charging a premium" for crude oil supplies to Asian markets.In an interview to Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, Puri said that costly shipments from traditional Middle East suppliers forced India to diversify its crude sources."Iraq followed Saudi Arabia in charging a premium for oil supplies to Asian markets which made their crude more expensive than crude sourced elsewhere," the minister said.