Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated on Tuesday that Russia remains a “very important supplier” of energy to India, despite sanctions against its major oil corporations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to undertake a two-day visit to India starting Thursday, aiming to promote increased sales of Russian oil, missile systems, and fighter jets. The visit seeks to revive energy and defense relations that have been strained due to U.S. pressure on South Asia.
Peskov accused “some countries and organizations” of trying to impede Russia-India relations and reiterated that Moscow considers energy sanctions to be prohibited.
Ahead of Putin’s visit to India, Peskov said the two countries will sign an
“important package of documents.”
He also said that Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will examine the possibility of improving the volume of Indian exports to Russia and consult on various forms of cooperation, including defense.
How is India balancing Western pressure with Russian energy ties?
Preliminary data from Kpler indicates that India’s oil imports from Russia in November are projected to reach their highest level in five months, according to Reuters.
India, the third-largest oil importer globally, has become the top purchaser of discounted Russian crude oil transported by sea, especially after Western nations distanced themselves from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
India’s Russian oil imports were projected to increase to 1.855 million barrels per day in November, up from 1.48 million bpd in October, based on provisional data from ship tracking agency Kpler.
How is India maintaining defence links despite global sanctions?
Russia has supplied arms to India for decades, with New Delhi emerging as its top buyer of seaborne oil despite Western sanctions after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh stated last week that, in contrast to crude, India does not intend to halt defense relations with Moscow anytime soon because it needs support for the numerous Russian systems it uses.
The majority of India’s 29 fighter squadrons are Russian Sukhoi-30 aircraft, and Moscow has offered the Su-57, its most sophisticated fighter, which is expected to be discussed this week, according to two Indian officials with knowledge of the situation.
India has not yet made a decision on buying the jet, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. However, Singh stated last week that India is probably going to talk about purchasing additional S-400 air defense units.
