Moscow. Due to the Ukraine War (Russo-Ukraine War), several European countries, including the United States and Britain, imposed strict sanctions on Russia. Despite several appeals at the international level, India acting as a friend did not impose any such sanctions on Russia. Despite US objections, India continued to import oil from Russia. Now Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told on Friday why India distanced itself from the sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, ‘India’s foreign policy is not in anyone’s interest. It is characterized by its independent mood. The US does not understand it yet, but Russia knows and understands it very well.
According to a report in the Moscow Times, a statement issued by the Russian embassy quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying that India has publicly rejected any appeal to join the ban on the country’s energy purchases. Lavrov also referred to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in this regard.
Lavrov’s statement came on the same day the G-7 finance ministers met. In it, the group of countries agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil to avoid a rise in oil prices. Moscow has said it will not sell oil to implementing countries. Lavrov said at an event, ‘India does not want to be involved in sanctions. Indian leaders, including my colleague External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, have publicly rejected any attempt to include him in sanctions on Russian energy purchases.
Lavrov further said that India has always been one of Russia’s top priorities. Russia’s relations with India are now recognized as a special and privileged strategic partnership. He said that it is indeed a relationship that is developing strongly. Since the freedom struggle, India stands on a strong foundation of friendship.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said the two countries have close cooperation in the energy sector with Russian companies operating in India, while the latter companies are setting up shop in Siberia and the Far East. He said, “We have diverse ties in the agriculture sector. The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is one of the mainstays of our strategic partnership.
Oil export agreement with India ready: Lavrov
The Russian Foreign Minister gave a clear answer to the questions asked on issues like India’s policy of neutrality regarding oil imports. He said that if India wants to import oil from Russia, then everything from US sanctions to payment system will be worked out. “If India wants to buy anything from us, we are ready for talks and we are ready to compromise in mutual interest,” he said.
Russia is like India in terms of foreign policy
While giving his views on India’s foreign policy, he said that Russia’s foreign policy is also based on the principles of Indian foreign policy. That is why we have friendly relations between the two big countries and we are each other’s reliable partners. Referring to the traditional relations between India and Russia, he said that we have built strong relations with India for many decades and these relations determine the direction of our dialogue.
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tags: russia, russia ukraine war, Vladimir Putin
First Published: September 03, 2022, 05:00 IST