During a meeting with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in New Delhi last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov applauded India’s neutral stand on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and also expressed his willingness to accept India as a mediator to bring an end to the conflict.
Welcoming the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov as he arrives in New Delhi for an official visit. pic.twitter.com/eHHCRgF30y
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) March 31, 2022
Lavrov began his two-day visit on Friday with a meeting with Jaishankar, wherein he said the “balanced” nature of bilateral ties makes for a “sustainable” relationship. He also celebrated the success of the two countries’ projects in the energy, science, and pharmaceutical sectors, specifically through the COVID-19 pandemic. Echoing Lavrov’s statement, Jaishankar said, “Our relations have grown and this meeting takes place in a difficult environment, apart from the pandemic.”
Concluded talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 1, 2022
Discussed bilateral cooperation and developments in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, Indo-Pacific, ASEAN and the Indian sub-continent. pic.twitter.com/jAlrpol5Gt
The discussion remained largely focused on the ongoing Ukraine crisis, in which regard Jaishankar reiterated India’s commitment to “resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.” Lavrov appreciated India’s decision to view the situation in its “entirety” and not in a “one-sided way.” Criticising the West’s position on the issue, he said, “Our Western colleagues would like to reduce any meaningful international issue to the crisis in Ukraine.”
The two foreign ministers also discussed enhancing trade amid expanding Western sanctions against Russia. According to a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar highlighted that “global volatility in different domains is of particular concern to India.” To this end, he said that it is s in India’s interest to ensure that its economic and people-to-people contacts with Russia “remain stable and predictable.”
Additionally, they discussed India’s decision to purchase discounted oil from Russia and the need to set up a rupee-ruble system, wherein Indian exporters can pay in rupees instead of dollars or euros, thereby bypassing the West-imposed sanctions on Russian financial institutions. “If India wants to buy anything from us, we are ready to discuss and reach mutually acceptable cooperation,” Lavrov declared, adding, “More and more transactions will be done using national currencies and bypassing the dollar-based system.”
Later on the same day, Lavrov met with PM Modi to convey a “message personally” from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said, “The President (Putin) and the Prime Minister are in regular touch with each other and I will report to the President about my negotiations. He sends, by the way, his best regards to Prime Minister Modi and I would appreciate an opportunity to deliver this message personally.”
🇷🇺🇮🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov was received by Prime Minister @narendramodi during his official visit to #India#RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti pic.twitter.com/2ZIsW0pi97
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) April 1, 2022
After Lavrov’s meeting with Modi, Jaishankar and Lavrov held a joint press conference in which the Russian minister said that India and Russia’s friendship stems from their common commitment to “policies [that] are characterised by independence and the concentration on real national legitimate interests.”
Expressing Russia’s support for India to act as a mediator in the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov said, “India is an important country. If it sees to play that role which provides resolution of problem… If it is with its position of just and rational approach to international problems, it can support such process.”
"India has always been in favour of resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and diplomacy," EAM Jaishankar tells Russian FM Lavrov in Delhi amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/crkM3t4Len
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 1, 2022
Moreover, Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s claim that it had not conducted an invasion but merely a “special operation” that targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure, despite mounting evidence of civilian massacres. “The aim is to deprive the Kyiv regime of building the capacity to present any threat to Russia,” he added.
India has been facing increasing pressure from the West to take a stronger stand against Russia and sever trade ties with Moscow. However, it has purchased 13 million barrels from Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. In fact, the Financial Times recently reported that India has imported 360,000 barrels per day in March, a fourfold increase from 2021.
Apart from continuing its trade relations with Russia, India has also refrained from making any direct references to its long-time ally and refused to condemn its invasion of Ukraine beyond calling for diplomacy and respect for international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. In addition, it has abstained from voting in United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that sought to condemn Russia’s invasion.
As a result, US President Joe Biden criticised India for its “somewhat shaky” position on the Ukraine crisis. Moreover, upon his arrival in New Delhi on Thursday, US Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) for Economics Daleep Singh said that the US is resolutely against a “rapid acceleration” in Indian imports of Russian energy or any other products that have been sanctioned. He underscored that the purpose of his trip was to “explain the mechanisms of our sanctions” and “the importance of joining us,” before warning that the US will exact “consequences” on countries who “actively attempt to circumvent or backfill the sanctions.”
Building on Singh’s apparent warnings to India, in an exclusive interview with Reuters, an unnamed senior US official said that the proposed rupee-ruble trade must be “in compliance with sanctions,” adding, “If not, they are exposing themselves to a great risk.”
Similarly, during a visit to New Delhi to meet with Jaishankar, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss highlighted that the Ukraine crisis has expanded the need for “like-minded nations to work together.” “Implications of the Ukraine crisis are far-reaching. We are seeing global food security threatened, global energy security threatened,” she added. However, she said that the United Kingdom (UK) would not “tell India what to do” regarding its decision to buy discounted oil from Russia.
Meanwhile, India has continued to defend its neutral position on the issue, particularly the decision to continue its trade relations with Russia despite the West’s sanctions. While responding to criticisms about India purchasing discounted Russian oil, Jaishankar, who was in a joint press conference with Truss, said that it was “natural” for countries to buy discounted products, specifically amid rising oil prices. Highlighting the hypocrisy of the West, he stated, “Europe bought 15 per cent more oil and gas from Russia than it did a month before. Most of the major buyers of oil and gas from Russia are in Europe.” He also emphasised that most of India’s energy supplies come from the Middle East, with less than 1% being imported from Russia.