New Delhi: Russia on Thursday offered to supply more oil and natural gas to India as Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and explored ways to enhance cooperation in critical areas such as energy and fertilisers.
Modi said on social media that he and Manturov discussed “mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, fertilizers, communication and people-to-people relations.” Modi praised the continued efforts made by the two countries to implement the outcomes of the Indo-Russian summit held during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi last December.
Jaishankar said after his meeting with Manturov that the two sides focused on bilateral cooperation in trade, industry, energy, fertilisers, connectivity and mobility. They also explored new opportunities in technology, innovation and critical minerals, he said in a social media post.
Manturov and Jaishankar also discussed regional and global developments, including the conflict in West Asia.
The Russian embassy said in a statement that Manturov “confirmed that Russian companies have the ability to steadily increase supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas to the Indian market.”
Read also: Russia is ready to mediate the talks after Iran set 4 main demands for a ceasefire with the United States and Israel
Manturov said Russia had “increased supplies of mineral fertilizers required for India by 40%” by the end of 2025, and is ready to continue meeting India’s needs for this product. The two sides are also developing a joint project to produce carbamide, the reading said.
India is currently suffering from interruptions in energy and fertilizer supplies due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the conflict sparked by Israel and US military strikes on Iran. The Russian readout said that “special attention was paid to cooperation in the oil and gas sector” during Manturov’s interactions with Indian leaders.
Russia has re-emerged as the largest energy supplier after the recent US waiver of sanctions to allow India to continue purchasing Russian energy.
Manturov, who is co-chair of the Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Committee for Trade, Economic, Scientific, Artistic and Cultural Cooperation, also met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Russian reading said that expanding mutually beneficial trade, investment and industrial cooperation was a major topic on Manturov’s agenda. “Specific steps were discussed to create favorable conditions for increasing the volume of bilateral trade in the current context,” the statement read.
Read also: NATO is an anti-Russian bloc? Kremlin calls alliance an ‘enemy’ as Putin pushes diplomacy in Iran war
Russia and India are working to strengthen their partnership in the field of nuclear energy, and Manturov said that Russia sees great prospects for deepening engagement with India in this field. The project to build reactors for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is being implemented in line with the agreed schedules.
Manturov’s discussions also included areas such as industrial cooperation, space and education.
Days before Manturov’s visit, Foreign Minister Vikram Masri and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko chaired Foreign Ministry consultations in New Delhi and reviewed bilateral relations.
Manturov’s visit came on the heels of the Indian government’s decision to purchase five more S-400 air defense systems from Russia following the system’s performance during Operation Sindoor, the four-day conflict with Pakistan last year.
India struck a $5 billion deal with Russia in October 2018 to buy five S-400 air defense systems despite a US warning that the contract could attract sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Russia has delivered three of these systems so far, although the delivery of the remaining two batteries was affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
