Ukraine war tops agenda in New Delhi for UK's Liz Truss and Russia's Sergey Lavrov

While the West wants India to oppose the Russian invasion, Moscow is seeking its help to counter western sanctions

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss chat before their meeting in New Delhi. Reuters

Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrived in New Delhi on Thursday morning with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expected later in the day, as India finds itself caught between the West and long-standing ally Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Despite the UK's wide-ranging sanctions on Russia, Ms Truss said Britain respects India's decision to buy discounted oil from Moscow.

"I think it's very important that we respect other countries' decisions about the issues that they face; India is a sovereign nation. I'm not going to tell India what to do," Ms Truss told reporters.

Since western sanctions were imposed on Russian entities after Moscow invaded Ukraine, India has bought at least 13 million barrels of Russian crude oil, compared with about 16 million barrels for all of last year, Reuters data suggests.

Russia is offering a discount on price from before the start of the Ukraine crisis in February of $35 a barrel, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

Mr Lavrov will meet India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday after arriving in the Indian capital from China, another Moscow ally, where he attended a two-day conference on Afghanistan.

Both New Delhi and Beijing have refused to condemn Russia's invasion and have abstained from voting on UN resolutions against Moscow's actions.

A Ukrainian soldier fires his rifle from a trench at the front east of Kharkiv in the north of Ukraine, which continues to be shelled by Russian forces. AFP

A gas station on fire in Kharkiv after Russian ttack on the northern city. AFP

A medieval suit of armour 'stands guard' at a a Ukrainian checkpoint, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

Ukrainian refugees wait in line to cross the border into Poland at Shehyni. Reuters

Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

A resident passes apartment buildings destroyed by Russian attacks in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, standing, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the House of Representatives via video link at Parliament House in Canberra. Mr Zelenskyy appealed directly to Australian legislators for more help in the war against Russia, including armoured vehicles and tougher sanctions. AP

Fire lights up the sky east of Kharkiv, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A destroyed Russian tank in the village of Lukianivka near Kyiv. AFP

Passengers arriving from Moscow at Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyrzstan. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of former Soviet countries in Central Asia are facing difficult choices: shrinking work opportunities in Russia and wages in the weakened rouble versus a return to the homeland where they have family homes, but even fewer job prospects. AFP

Fire and smoke light up the sky east of Kharkiv as Ukrainian forces push back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier shoots at the Russian positions not far from the capital Kyiv. EPA

A car marked with the English letter 'Z' is found destroyed at the central Ukrainian train station that was used as a Russian base in Trostyanets. Ukrainian forces said they had retaken the north-eastern town from the Russians. Getty Images

Rescue workers at the site of the regional administration building hit by Russian cruise missiles, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A dog looks at cars passing by on the road near a house painted with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

A soldier poses for the picture in Kyiv, Ukraine, while standing guard amid the destruction caused after shelling of a shopping center. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman stands near a destroyed Russian tank in the north-eastern city of Trostianets. AFP

A worker pushes a cart past graves of Ukrainian soldiers who were killed in battle during Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv. Reuters

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damaged apartment buildings and homes in Mariupol. AP

A resident takes photos of a destroyed Russian tank next to the railway station where the Russian forces were stationed, in Trostyanets, a town recaptured by the Ukrainian army. EPA

A rescuer clears the rubble of a warehouse containing more than 50,000 tons of deep-frozen food in the town of Brovary, north of Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, after it was destroyed by Russian shelling. AFP

A Ukrainian army vehicle carries a Russian tank in Trostyanets. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers carry a coffin during the funeral ceremony of a comrade in Odesa. EPA

A man walks with his dog near an apartment building damaged by shelling from fighting on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP Photo

Members of the Danish Parliament attend the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the Danish Parliament via a video link, at the Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. EPA

A satellite image shows crowds outside a Metro grocery store in Mariupol. Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opens Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul. President Erdogan told the delegations that "both parties have legitimate concerns." AFP

Members of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps fire a howitzer at a position in the Zaporizhzhia region. Reuters

Ukrainian refugees are helped by volunteers upon their arrival at Amsterdam Central station by train from Berlin. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers ride an armoured people carrier through the town of Trostsyanets, about 400 kilometres east of Kyiv. AP Photo

Firefighters work amid the debris of residential houses that were destroyed by Russian shelling in a settlement outside Kharkiv. Reuters

President Joe Biden said that he is not advocating for regime change in Moscow after saying Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power." AP Photo

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse after it was hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. More than half of Kharkiv's 1.4 million people have fled the city since Russia's invasion on February 24. Getty Images

Local residents pass by a destroyed Russian tank in the town of Trostyanets, east of capital Kyiv, Ukraine. The monument to the Second World War is seen in background. AP Photo

A pro-Russian troop service member walks near a destroyed apartment building in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

Mykhaylo, 8, who was taken away from his widowed mother along with his 9-year-old brother and 16-year-old sister, plays with a ball in the garden of a state shelter in Lviv. Reuters

Halyna Falko, 52, talks to reporters while looking at the destruction caused after a Russian attack inside her house near Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

Curtains flutter in the wind at a building that was damaged by shelling in a neighbourhood that has been largely abandoned and left without water, gas and heating, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

People, mainly women and children, arrive at Przemysl on a train from Odesa in war-torn Ukraine in Przemysl, Poland. The Polish government has said it may spend €24 billion this year hosting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, and is seeking more support from the European Union. Getty Images

A woman walks a dog past the so-called "people's installation to a Russian soldier" nicknamed the "polite people" created by residents in the backyard of their apartment building in the town of Podolsk, outside Moscow. AFP

Thousands of civilians and troops have been killed since Russian forces entered Ukraine on February 24, while more than 4 million people are reported to have fled to neighbouring countries amid attacks on major cities including the capital Kyiv. The war has pushed up the price of oil, roiled markets and affected global wheat supplies.

India's stance on the conflict has triggered diplomatic disquiet in the US and European Union, which are rallying international support for punitive economic sanctions on Moscow.

US President Joe Biden said last week that New Delhi was “somewhat shaky” on Russia and sent top aide Daleep Singh to India on Wednesday to “consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia's unjustified war against Ukraine”.

But India has remained steadfast in refusing to condemn Russia, a major strategic and military partner since the Cold War era and often referred to by Indian officials as a “time-tested friend”.

India's military has an extensive inventory of Russian-made equipment, ranging from fighter jets and nuclear submarines to battle tanks and assault rifles.

Russia in December delivered the first batch of its S-400 missile defence system to New Delhi under a $5.4 billion deal that upset Washington.

India has started buying discounted oil from Russia after the Ukraine conflict sent global crude oil prices spiralling upwards, ignoring the West’s pleas to shun supplies from Moscow.

State-owned oil companies have already bought six million barrels of heavily discounted Russian crude, the Financial Times reported.

India currently imports 85 per cent of its oil from West Asia and only 1 per cent from Russia.

The government said it plans to double imports of Russian coking coal used for steel manufacturing.

Experts say Mr Lavrov’s New Delhi visit is significant as Russia tries to work out new mechanisms with friendly countries to bypass western economic sanctions that have isolated it from the global financial system. Bilateral trade between April last year and January this year stood at $10.75bn.

According to a report in the Times of India, western sanctions against Russia's financial system have left hundreds of Indian exporters unable to receive payments totalling $500 million.

India and Russia are reportedly exploring the possibility of replacing the US dollar as a trading currency through a “rupee-rouble” mechanism that would see Moscow and New Delhi depositing their currencies in each other’s banks. A team from Russia’s central bank is expected to visit India to work out the details.

Anuradha Chenoy, a Delhi-based expert on Russia and former dean of the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said Mr Lavrov’s visit was significant as India remains under pressure from the US to change its stance on Moscow.

“The steam on the war is slowly petering out but the West is still keen to punish, almost demolish Russia through economic warfare,” Ms Chenoy told The National.

Ms Chenoy said the US was making every effort to squeeze Russia economically and Mr Lavrov’s visit to India was aimed precisely at circumventing those sanctions and continuing business as usual with New Delhi.

“India has been a historical ally and Russia wants this to continue. They want India to circumvent these sanctions,” she said.

“India would be interested in getting oil at a concession rate because India is oil-starved. They would like to have a long-term relationship where they get a great bargain."