Russian Foreign Minister visits India to seek support against Western sanctions

According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to India on April 1 was aimed at seeking support from a country Moscow has long considered an ally.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (left) and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pose for a souvenir photo before their talks in New Delhi on April 1. Photo: Reuters

The move comes a day after US and British officials pressed New Delhi to avoid damaging the dollar-based financial system and Western-imposed sanctions on Russia for launching military offensive campaign entered Ukraine on February 24. So far, India has never condemned Russia for the war.

“We are friends,” Lavrov told a news conference after meeting his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Top diplomat Russia India is looking at the Ukraine crisis based on “the whole truth, not just one side”, added India.

According to Lavrov, the Central Bank of Russia established a system for exchanging financial information a few years ago, and India has a similar system. “It is clear that more and more transactions are being carried out through this system using national currencies, ignoring the dollar, euro and other currencies,” Lavrov stressed.

Russia is currently the largest supplier of defense equipment to India. The Russian foreign minister said that the two countries will use the rupee and ruble mechanism to buy and sell oil, military equipment and other goods. Moscow pledges to supply any item New Delhi wants to buy.

India has bought millions of barrels of discounted Russian crude since the war broke out in Ukraine, on the grounds that the deals benefit their own people and even European countries are doing it. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told CNBC-TV18 that New Delhi will continue to import discounted fuel from the country of birch.

In addition, India signed a contract to buy sunflower oil from Russia at a record high price after supplies from Ukraine shut down.

Speaking during a visit to New Delhi on March 31, US Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics Daleep Singh stated that Washington will not set any “red lines” for India in the energy imports from Russia, but they do not want to see a “rapid acceleration” in this purchase.

Tuan Anh