‘Good results in cooperation’: Russia keen to deepen energy cooperation with India, foreign minister Lavrov tells EAM Jaishankar

India and Russia affirmed their strategic cooperation, especially in the realm of oil purchases, with Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov saying that the cooperation between the two countries have so far yielded 'good results.'

Lavrov was speaking in Moscow in the company of India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, who is on a visit to Russia. Jaishankar's visit comes in the backdrop of tense relations between India and the U.S. over the former buying oil from Russia at discounted rates. India's actions have drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose over 50% tariffs on India. Trump's actions have soured the relations between the two countries, a relation that had been cultivated over many decades, with the U.S. viewing India as a natural counterweight to the rise of China.

Taking to X, Jaishankar hailed the partnership between India and Russia and said the talks were expansive, covering areas from bilateral ties to energy security.

"Pleased to meet FM Sergey Lavrov today in Moscow. Had a detailed discussion on our bilateral ties, including trade, investment, energy, fertilizers, health, skilling & mobility, defense, and people to people exchanges. We exchanged views on Ukraine, Europe, Iran, West Asia, Afghanistan and the Indian sub-continent. Also spoke about our cooperation in UN, G20, SCO and BRICS. Our meeting helped prepare the outcomes and decisions for the Annual Summit later this year," he said.

"We have good results in cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector, in the supply of Russian oil to the Indian market. And we have a mutual interest in implementing joint projects for the extraction of energy resources, including in the Russian Federation - in the Far East and on the Arctic shelf," Lavrov said, as reported by Reuters.

The export of crude oil at discounted rates to India and China have been a significant source of revenue for Russia who has been reeling under sanctions imposed on it by the U.S. and Europe in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters reported that officials in Russian Embassy in New Delhi have said that Moscow believes it will continue to sell oil to India, despite Washington's pressure. Moscow also hopes that a trilateral talks, involving India and China, would also occur in the near future.

Trump's actions in alienating India have also thrown South Asian geopolitics in a state of flux, with growing bonhomie being witnessed between India and China.

Just a few days back, Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who is on a tour of South Asia, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The two sides, known to be historic rivals, have agreed to resume direct flights between each other and China too agreed to resume the export of materials, like rare earth and fertilizers to India, known to be crucial for Indian economy.

Yi's high-profile visit also is expected to lay the ground for PM Modi's expected visit to Beijing, first since 2018, where he will meet the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.

The tense diplomatic standoff between India and the U.S., on the other hand, has drawn severe criticism from many quarters in Washington. Nikki Haley, also a Republican leader, in a recent article published in the American magazine, Newsweek, came down heavily on Trump.

"India must be treated like the prized free and democratic partner that it is, not an adversary like China, which has thus far avoided sanctions for its Russian oil purchases, despite being one of Moscow's largest customers...Scuttling 25 years of momentum with the only country that can serve as a counterweight to Chinese dominance in Asia would be a strategic disaster," Haley had written in the article.