India, Russia review energy and economy amid West Asia war

India and Russia, during a foreign minister-level meeting on Wednesday, reviewed the outcomes of the last annual summit, with a special focus on energy trade and the growing economic partnership. The meeting also reviewed global tensions and hotspots, including West Asia, and the associated challenges on global supply chains.

In his opening remarks during the meeting with visiting Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, external affairs minister S Jaishankar noted that constant tendering of bilateral relations is important.

It is understood that the issue of India's imports of Russian crude oil, amid the expiry of a US waiver for sanctioned Russian oil on May 16, was also discussed. Sources indicated that India would continue to receive Russian crude as a certain quantity of supplies would remain accessible. The stalemate within BRICS over a common position on the West Asian conflict due to tensions between Iran and the UAE also figured in Wednesday's discussions.


Ahead of the visit, Lavrov assured that agreements on energy supplies to India would be fulfilled despite unfair external competition. He underlined that relations between the two countries are rooted in friendship and said there was no scenario in which their paths would diverge.