India says it will continue buying oil from Russia

This is reported by Reuters.

Jaishankar noted that buying Russian gas is beneficial for India. He made the announcement on Tuesday, November 8, after holding a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, his first visit since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Jaishankar was accompanied by officials in charge of agriculture, oil and natural gas, ports and shipping, finance, chemicals and fertilizers and trade. According to the minister, this shows the importance of relations with Russia. Both sides plan to expand their rupee-rouble trade given Russia's problems with the dollar.

"Russia has been a steady and time-tested partner. Any objective evaluation of our relationship over many decades would confirm that it has actually served both our countries very, very well," Jaishankar said.

In response to a question about the G7's plan to limit oil prices, India's foreign minister said that India, as the world’s third consumer of oil and gas, should take care of its interests first.

"And in that respect, quite honestly, we have seen that the India-Russia relationship has worked to our advantage. So, if it works in my favor, I would like to keep that going," Jaishankar emphasized.

Reuters notes that the Moscow trip comes as US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits New Delhi this week to hold negotiations with Indian officials, including possibly on limiting Russian oil prices.