Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia has increased oil supplies to India amid the ongoing Middle East crisis, and also suggested that New Delhi could be a better negotiator in the Iran-US war as it has vast diplomatic experience and clout.
Addressing a press conference in the Indian capital today, Lavrov, who is in India for the BRICS foreign ministers meeting, said on the issue of oil supplies to India:
“It is not a secret data; it is published in the global media, and it shows that oil supplies to India have increased. And it does not depend on us, it depends on Indian requests for supplying more energy; and this is how we continue moving.”
His statement comes as India has approached the US for an extension of the waiver on Russian oil imports, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran-US war that has led to a crisis in the global energy markets. The current US waiver is valid up to May 16. The US has asked India to reduce its purchase of discounted Russian crude, which it blames for funding Moscow in the continuing Ukrainian conflict.
According to data from Kpler, India’s oil imports from Russia have increased, reaching an all-time high of 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of May 2026, making Russia India’s top supplier. Due to the energy supply disruptions around the Persian Gulf, India’s crude imports from Middle Eastern suppliers have plunged by 61%.
To a question on Pakistan playing the role of mediator in the US-Iran war, the Russian FM said: “You can see that Pakistan is helping establish dialogues between Iran and the US to resolve the urgent problems, the existing crisis. And if we speak of a long-term mediator, then this role could be played by India, considering its vast diplomatic experience, and authority and clout,” said Lavrov.
He also said that PM Narendra Modi would be visiting Russia later this year, as part of the annual bilateral summit with President Putin. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed that this year it is his turn to pay a visit to the Russian Federation. We will be preparing for this meeting,” Lavrov said.
He also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to visit New Delhi for the BRICS leaders’ summit later this year.
Earlier, in an interview to RT, Foreign Minister Lavrov had criticised the US for imposing sanctions on countries for purchase of Russian oil. “Pressing everyone into not buying Russian oil is a dirty tactic. You can describe it in different ways – colonial or neocolonial – but these are methods of exploitation. Deep down, they are designed to strong arm everyone into buying expensive US oil and liquefied natural gas rather than cheap Russian oil. In this way, they seek to rule the world through controlling global energy supplies.
“Not everyone is yielding to this pressure, though. India has firmly and repeatedly stated that it will independently decide from whom and in what volumes it will buy its energy. It was rumoured occasionally that an unidentified Indian buyer had refused to buy oil from tanker carrying Russian oil. To reiterate, India has clearly stated its position,” he said.
On Russia-India defence cooperation, he said in the interview with RT that it has moved from a buyer-seller format to joint production in India.
“For a long time after it had gained independence, not a single Western country was willing to help India develop its own military technology. Russia took a different approach. Our cooperation with India started out in a seller/buyer format. The situation has changed dramatically over time, and we are no longer just selling weapons and military equipment to India. We are selling less, because we are gradually moving towards joint production in India. Russia and India started out with BrahMos missiles, then diversified into the production of Kalashnikov assault rifles, and now India engages in manufacturing T-90 battle tanks under licence.”
