Russia-Ukraine negotiations to continue: Russian foreign minister

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - No final plans have been approved in recent peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian foreign minister said on Friday.

"As far as Russia's Ukraine negotiations, there are no finalized plans. The negotiations will continue," Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference in New Delhi after a meeting with his Indian counterpart.

On Russian oil sales to India, Lavrov underlined that Moscow is ready to provide all purchases that New Delhi may make, voicing confidence that pressure would not "affect our partnership."

"If India wants to buy anything from us, we are ready to discuss and reach mutually acceptable cooperation."

On trade, Lavrov said the two countries could strengthen a bilateral system that they had developed for payment using their own domestic currencies.

"I have no doubt that a way will be (found) to bypass the artificial impediments which illegal unilateral sanctions by the West create. This relates also to the area of military-technical cooperation," he said at the press conference.

Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to hold a meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

India's stance on the Ukraine war has led to a flurry of visits by dignitaries from around the world.

On a question about the possibility of India becoming a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv, the foreign minister said that though he was not aware of discussions on that subject, New Delhi could "support such a process" given its "just and rational approach to international problems."

He also repeated Moscow's position that the fighting in Ukraine did not constitute "war" but a "special operation."

"The aim is to deprive the Kyiv regime of building the capacity to present any threat to Russia," he said.

Highlighting that Russia's ties with India have been developing for decades, Lavrov said: "The relations are strategic partnerships. This was the basis on which we have been promoting our cooperation in all areas."

"I believe that Indian foreign policies are characterized by independence and the concentration on real national legitimate interests," he added.

Lavrov stressed the importance of "respect" for each other's interests. "We always try to accommodate each other's interests and this was the meaning of our discussion which covered all bilateral issues."

For its part, the Indian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that Lavrov had briefed Jaishankar on Russia's perspective on the war in Ukraine, including the peace talks, during their bilateral meeting.

It said Jaishankar "emphasized the importance of the cessation of violence and ending hostilities."

"Differences and disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and by respect for international law, UN Charter, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states," the statement added.

Lavrov also accused the West of seeking to "reduce any meaningful international issue to the crisis in Ukraine."

"(We) appreciate that India is taking this situation in the entirety of facts, not just in a one-sided way," he added.

In a later meeting, Lavrov briefed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "on the situation in Ukraine, including the ongoing peace negotiations," said a subsequent statement by the Indian government.

"Prime Minister reiterated his call for an early cessation of violence, and conveyed India's readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts," the statement said.

The Russian war against Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and Britain, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,232 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,935 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.