EAM Jaishankar holds talks with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov a day after the US warned of consequences over attempts to circumvent American sanctions against MoscowThe highlevel talks took place in the backdrop of indications that India could buy greater volumes of discounted Russian oil and both sides were keen on having a rublerupee arrangement for bilateral trade In his opening remarks at the talks Jaishankar referring to the RussiaUkraine conflict said India is in favour of resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and diplomacyWe have diversified our cooperation by expanding our agenda Our meeting today takes place in a difficult international environment apart from the pandemic Jaishankar said India as you are aware has always been in favour of resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and diplomacy In our meeting today we will have an opportunity to discuss contemporary issues and concerns in some detail he saidOn his part Lavrov said the ties between India and Russia were very sustainable during many difficult times in the past and that he did not have the slightest of doubts about continued cooperation He said strengthening of ties with India has been a key priority of the Russian foreign policy We are interested in having a balanced world order which makes it sustainable he said These days our western colleagues would like to reduce any meaningful international issue to the crisis in UkraineWe do not fight anything and we appreciated that India is taking this situation in the entirety of effect and not just onesided way he added Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening after concluding a twoday visit to ChinaThe Russian foreign minister is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his talks with Jaishankar Hours before the Russian foreign minister landed in India US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh cautioned that there will be consequences for countries actively attempting to circumvent or backfill American sanctions against Moscow After holding a series of meetings with Indian interlocutors he also said that Washington would not like to see a rapid acceleration in Indias import of energy and other commodities from RussiaThe proposed rupeerouble payment system if finalised is likely to help the two longstanding strategic partners carry on with bilateral trade while avoiding the purview of Western sanctions on Russia People familiar with Lavrovs visit said earlier that the Indian side is likely to press for timely delivery of various military hardware as well as components of the S400 missile systems by Russia Unlike many other leading powers India has not yet criticised Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from the votes at the UN platforms in condemning the Russian aggression However last Thursday India abstained on a resolution pushed by Russia on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine which was seen as reflective of its neutral position on the conflictIndia has been pressing for the resolution of the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 March 2 and March 7 Modi had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy twice Last week Jaishankar said in Parliament that Indias position on the Ukraine conflict has been steadfast and consistent and that it has been seeking immediate cessation of violenceThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever