This is Russia’s highest-level visit to India after Moscow launched the military operation on Ukrainian soil on February 24, All India Radio reported.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Lavrov would also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, the Press Trust of India agency reported.
The Russian Foreign Minister arrived in this country after concluding a two-day visit to China.
Lavrov’s stay coincides with that of the United States Deputy National Security Adviser, Daleep Singh, and the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Elizabeth Truss, who seek to change New Delhi’s position with Moscow due to the dispute in Ukraine. .
The head of Russian diplomacy could have his attention focused on ironing out the payment mechanism between the rupee and the ruble and the interruptions in defense supply, the newspaper The Hindu reflected.
Lavrov is expected to hold specific discussions on the purchase of Russian oil and payment mechanisms, given the sanctions against Russian banks and the exclusion of the Swift bank messaging mechanism.
The Indian government is considering discounted Russian oil offers and a special inter-ministerial group led by the finance ministry is studying payment problems for Indian importers and exporters as a result of the war and sanctions against Moscow.
The United States and its European allies seek to isolate Russia and increase defense exports to Ukraine and neighboring countries, calling on other nations to support those efforts.
India consistently abstained from all UN resolutions against Russia and called for talks between the warring parties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and also with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
Last week, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told parliament that the country’s position on the Ukraine conflict is “firm and consistent” and that it seeks an immediate cessation of violence.
Russia launched a military operation in the Ukrainian autonomous region of Donbass at the end of February, after the authorities of the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk asked for help to repel the aggression of the nationalist forces.
The United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union and the rest of the NATO allied countries implemented economic and financial sanctions against entities, businessmen and organizations that they consider close to the Kremlin.
New Delhi is reluctant to join the anti-Russian rhetoric promoted by Western powers and instead called on the warring parties to resolve their differences through dialogue.
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