The Russian Foreign Minister thanked India for its neutrality in Ukraine

New Delhi, Apr. 1 (EFE) .- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday thanked India for its neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict. One day official visit to New Delhi.

“We appreciate the whole of India taking this situation, not just from one side,” the Russian diplomat said in a statement before the meeting.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India has maintained neutrality in the UN General Assembly, except for condemning the occupation.

To some analysts, India’s position is deeply dependent on Russia’s, a supplier of 60% to 70% of India’s arms equipment, in addition to purchasing Russian crude oil, which today is defined by reduced sanctions.

This neutrality, added to today’s meeting, has aroused suspicion from the United States and other European countries, which Lavrov used to his advantage to criticize “our colleagues in the West.” .

Instead, the Russian in his speech highlighted the “friendship” that historically unites India and Russia and described his “strategic alliance” with New Delhi as his country’s “top priority in foreign policy”.

An association that, with the development of many projects in the field of energy, science, technology or medicine, has recently led to the “intensification” of bilateral relations.

For his part, Jaisankar stressed that the meeting would help discuss “contemporary issues and concerns”, “in a difficult international context beyond the epidemic”, and assured that India has always been supportive in resolving differences and disputes through dialogue. Diplomacy.

In addition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this session will try to define an effective payment mechanism for India and Russia so that the Asian country can import Russian crude oil at a more competitive price. Weigh the Russian economy.

Lavrov’s visit has put India at the center of Western media attention, which has cast doubt on the harmony between the two countries in the wake of the Ukrainian conflict.

Precisely this week, British Foreign Secretary Lis Truss and White House Assistant National Security Adviser to the International Economic Forum Taleep Singh traveled to India.

During an event with Jaisankar, Truss reiterated that “strengthening relations with India is more important than ever” and stressed the need for “like-minded nations to work together”.

US State Department spokesman Nate Price, who questioned the relationship between Russia and India, vowed in Washington yesterday that his country does not want to change relations between Russia and India, but that its purpose is to “speak to the international community.” Solidarity “calls for an end to violence in Ukraine. EFE

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