‘My Friend Jaishankar Advised Them To Mind Their Own Business’: Russia's Lavrov on Indian Oil Imports

Underlining the long-standing relations between India and Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday praised External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for navigating bilateral ties amid the Ukraine conflict.

He made these remarks while responding to a question on India’s oil purchases during the World Youth Forum in the Russian city of Sochi. During an interactive session, Lavrov stressed the historical ties between the two countries, particularly Moscow’s support for New Delhi during the Cold War period when the West withheld advanced weaponry.

“My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He advised them to mind their own business and reminded them at the same time how much oil the West had started buying and continued to buy oil from the Russian Federation. This is national dignity,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Sputnik news agency.

Lavrov, who is the longest-serving Russian foreign minister since the fall of the Soviet Union, highlighted the collaborative defence projects, such as the joint production of high-tech missiles like the BrahMos. “In those years, when the West did not even think of transferring modern weapons to India, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, not only did so, but also set up joint production of high-tech missiles [including the] BrahMos. That is why we remember [our] friendship, we never forget ourselves and we see that the Indian people have the same qualities,” Lavrov said.

Russia has been a longstanding and time-tested partner for India. For several decades, the development of relations with Russia has been a key pillar of India’s foreign policy. Jaishankar told a German daily last month that “Russia has never hurt India’s interests”. In an interview in Germany, Jaishankar had said every country conducts a relationship based on their past experiences.

“If I look at the history of India post-independence, Russia has never hurt our interests. The relations of powers like Europe, the US, China or Japan with Russia, they have all seen ups and downs. We have had a stable and always very friendly relationship with Russia. And our relationship with Russia today is based on this experience,” he had said.

Russia, historically a minor exporter of fuel to India, began boosting shipments after the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022. While expanding trade with Moscow, New Delhi has consistently called for “complete cessation of all hostilities”. On the issue of Russian oil imports, India has also maintained that it will continue to take calls based on its national interest.