Russian Foreign Minister arrives in India despite US warning; Sergey Lavrov says Putin's message will be conveyed directly to Prime Minister

NEW DELHI: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is on an official visit to India. This is the first time a high-ranking Russian official is visiting India since the start of the war with Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov arrived in New Delhi after the United States warned that countries trying to circumvent their sanctions against Russia would suffer the consequences.

There are indications that Lavrov came to India to discuss importing more oil into India in the wake of the international sanctions against Russia. At present, India imports only about one per cent of its oil from Russia. This is because European countries, the main consumers of Russian oil, are unable to purchase oil from Russia.

Lavrov said that he would directly convey Russian President Vladimir Putin's message of congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He reminded that India-Russia relations were strong despite the crisis.