During a visit to New Delhi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Indian government's restraint in the Ukraine war.
"We appreciate that India is looking at the situation as a whole and not one-sidedly," Lavrov said Friday at the start of his talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Till Fähnders
Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.
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According to news agency reports, Lavrov accused the West of reducing all major international affairs to the Ukraine crisis.
Russia is interested in a "balanced world order".
During the talks, India's Foreign Minister Jaishankar pointed out that New Delhi prefers a solution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
After the talks, Lavrov was also received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Slightly shaky position"
India, while calling for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the war, has not yet condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine.
President Joe Biden had therefore described India's position as "a little shaky".
With various diplomatic visits, the various sides are now trying to influence India.
Increasingly, the question is whether India could undermine Western sanctions by buying cheaper Russian raw materials.
"Whatever India wants to buy from us, we are ready for discussion and mutually acceptable cooperation," Lavrov told the Indian press on Friday.
In contrast, Biden's Deputy Security Advisor for Economic Affairs, Daleep Singh, who also visited New Delhi this week, had threatened India with "consequences" if it used local payment mechanisms to circumvent American sanctions.
On the other hand, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she would not tell India what to do.
Like Lavrov, Truss had landed in New Delhi on Thursday.
India's foreign minister has countered criticism of the oil deals by pointing out that Europeans are the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The Europeans point out that they are currently reducing business.
India has added millions of barrels of cheaper Russian oil since the war began.