India aims to bolster military tech, energy ties with Russia

Jaishankar-Lavrov also hold discussions to advance the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project

- Rezaul H Laskar

New Delhi and Moscow are exploring ways to increase Russian energy exports, including oil and coal, as part of their future cooperation roadmap, initiated by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia, met Lavrov for a sweeping review of bilateral relations, including cooperation in energy and military tech, following his talks on Tuesday with deputy prime minister Denis Manturov that largely focused on trade and investment.

Despite pressure from the US and its European partners following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India ramped up purchases of Russian energy and other commodities such as fertilisers. The Indian side has consistently called for the end of hostilities in Ukraine but has refrained from publicly criticising Russia’s actions.