UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY LAVROV, ADDS QUOTES
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) – The trade turnover between Russia and India has reached record figures, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
“Yesterday, the co-chairs of our intergovernmental commission noted that bilateral trade turnover increased by 15% last year, setting an absolute record in the post-Soviet history of relations between Moscow and New Delhi,” Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Lavrov’s remarks come amid threats from the US to impose additional 25% tariffs on India, including for purchases of Russian oil.
“We also have good results in hydrocarbon cooperation, with Russian oil supplies to the Indian market, and we both have a mutual interest in implementing joint projects for energy resource extraction, including in the Russian Federation's Far East and on the Arctic shelf,” he said.
On Aug. 7, a day after Washington announced measures against New Delhi for buying fuel from Moscow, Indian state-owned refineries paused purchases of Russian oil. This Wednesday, the purchases resumed, as several state Indian oil companies bought oil from Russia with deliveries scheduled for September.
Lavrov also said Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit India before the end of the year, with a "substantial package of documents" being prepared.
- Russia supports security guarantees for Ukraine proposed by Kyiv in 2022 in Istanbul.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, Lavrov said he had also briefed his Indian counterpart on recent contacts with the US.
He said Moscow is considering how to implement the results of these contacts so that the security interests of all sides are ensured.
Lavrov reiterated Russia's support for the principle of collective security guarantees for Ukraine, which Kyiv proposed in 2022.
“Those principles, those security guarantees that were agreed upon—I emphasize—at the initiative of the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul in April 2022, are supported by us, were supported then, and continue to be supported today because they are based on the principle of collective security assurance, on the principle of security indivisibility. Anything else, everything unilateral, is obviously futile,” he stressed.
In contrast, he stated that Moscow rejects any security guarantees for Ukraine based on a confrontational logic designed to isolate Russia.
He also stated that the deployment of foreign military forces in Ukraine is "completely unacceptable to Russia."
Concerning the prospects for peace, Lavrov said statements by Ukrainian politicians demonstrate an unwillingness to end the conflict, contrary to US efforts.
Regarding a potential meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, he stated that Putin is prepared as long as the discussions are well-prepared by experts and ministers.
He also emphasized the importance of clarity regarding the “legitimacy of the individual representing the Ukrainian side during the signing process of any prospective agreements.”
Lavrov also accused European countries of attempting to destabilize the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
“I sincerely hope that this conspiracy and adventure fail. He stated that he will continue to follow the path agreed upon by the Russian and US presidents during their meeting in Alaska and subsequent phone conversations,” he concluded.