Lavrov praises “friend of India”
Russia is considering weapons production with India

08/11/2022 17:19

Despite the war of aggression against Ukraine, India has remained loyal to Russia as a trading partner – primarily in its own interests. The country is now Russia’s second largest oil customer. Now Moscow and New Delhi apparently also want to join forces in terms of military technology.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia and India are considering joint production of modern weapons. According to the TASS news agency, Lavrov said after meeting with Jaishankar in Moscow that he had spoken with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar about prospects for military-technical cooperation. Which weapons specifically can be used remains open.

This is the fifth meeting of the two ministers this year. Aiming to help Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia, Lavrov accused Western countries of seeking to consolidate a “dominant role in world affairs” and “prevent the democratization of international relations” under the pretext of “Ukrainian events”. Therefore, he highly appreciated the position of “friends of India” in Ukraine, said Lavrov.

India takes a neutral stance towards Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine due to its close ties with the West and Russia. The country also does not support Western sanctions and promotes conflict resolution through dialogue. Recently, India bought relatively cheaper oil from Russia. New Delhi also relies heavily on Moscow for its military equipment and spare parts. According to Lavrov, Russia and India also want to cooperate more closely in the fields of nuclear energy and space travel.

India-Russia ties ‘proven’

India’s Foreign Minister Jaishankar emphasized that his country intends to continue buying oil from Russia. “As the third largest consumer of oil and gas and not a very high income country, we need to find affordable sources.” Governments must ensure that consumers have the best access to international oil and gas markets on the most favorable terms. “In that sense, we have seen that the relationship between India and Russia is self-evident so if it is in my favor I will go ahead with it.”

India has become Russia’s biggest oil customer after China. Its refineries buy cheap oil, which Western buyers are no longer buying because of sanctions against Russia after the war in Ukraine. Overall, India is the world’s third largest oil importer and a traditional ally of Russia.