India-US ties not criterion for India-Russia relations: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

Russia fully respects India's national interests and the independent foreign policy being pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, asserting that India's ties with the US or any other country cannot be a benchmark for New Delhi-Moscow ties.

Lavrov, who addressed the UN General Assembly shortly before External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's speech at the high-level General Debate, said India and Russia share a "particularly privileged strategic partnership".

“These situations that might arise between India and the United States or India and any other country, I can't consider them a criterion for relations between India and Russia,” he said at a press conference here on Saturday.

Lavrov was responding to a question on India's continued imports of Russian oil despite US pressure on countries to reduce such purchases, and how Moscow views its ties with New Delhi in this context.

"We have full respect for the national interests of India, full respect for the foreign policy that (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi is carrying out to promote these national interests,” he said, noting that India and Russia maintain regular high-level contacts.

Lavrov cited the recent meeting between PM Modi and President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China.

He added that President Putin is expected to visit New Delhi in December.

“We have a very extensive bilateral agenda -- trade, military, technical cooperation, finance, humanitarian matters, health care, high tech, artificial intelligence -- and of course, close coordination at the international level, within the SCO, BRICS and bilaterally,” the Russian leader said.

Lavrov had met Jaishankar for bilateral discussions on the margins of the 80th session of the UNGA and had also participated in the annual meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations, chaired by India in its capacity as the incoming Chair for 2026.

Lavrov spoke about bilateral visits and regular exchanges between him and Jaishankar.

"I'm not even asking what is going to happen to our trade relations or oil? I don't ask our Indian colleagues this. They are perfectly capable of making these decisions for themselves," he said.

Referring to Jaishankar's remarks on oil imports, Lavrov said the External Affairs Minister had clearly stated that if the "US wants to sell its oil to us, we are prepared to discuss the terms for this, but what we buy from other countries, not the United States, but from Russia or other countries, that's our own business, and that has nothing to do with the Indian-US agenda”.

“That is a very worthy response,” he said, adding that it shows that India, like Turkiye, has “self-respect”.

In response to another question, Lavrov stressed that the economic partnership between Russia and India is secure.

“There is no threat to this relationship. And if somebody does do something of that nature, the Indian Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, have said it loud and clear, India chooses its own partners," he said.