Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, has given a clear message to the US and Western countries that Russia is an old friend of India and this friendship will not diminish anywhere even in the changing geopolitical situations.
Foreign affairs experts say that after India’s neutral stand at the United Nations on the Russia-Ukraine stand, there is a constant effort by the US and Western countries to put pressure on India not to increase the purchase of oil from Russia. Since the availability of oil with Russia will increase after European countries do not buy oil, so it can sell it to India and China. But India has not cared about this pressure. Not only this, America is also against the use of alternative currency in place of dollar for trade. But Russia has given other indications, on which it will not be difficult for India to agree.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei for about 40 minutes. This is also important because foreign ministers or senior officials of about half a dozen countries have visited India in the last fortnight. But the PM did not meet any of them. A day earlier, the British Foreign Minister had come. Earlier, the Foreign Ministers of China and Mexico have also visited India. Among the officials, security advisers from the US, Germany and the Netherlands or its equivalent have visited India, but did not meet the prime minister.
One important thing that has happened during the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister to India has strengthened India’s thinking that it is ready to make any contribution to the efforts to establish peace between Russia and Ukraine. It is said that the PM had said this in a conversation with Russian President Putin and reiterated it again in front of the Russian Foreign Minister today.
A few hours before this meeting, the Russian Foreign Minister had withdrawn in response to a question saying that India may be able to mediate. Therefore, if the statements of both the sides are seen and Ukraine also agrees on this further, then India can play a big role in ending this dispute.