'India Has Self-respect': Russia Backs Delhi Amid US Pressure, Says Delhi 'Perfectly Capable of Making Decisions'

India's diplomatic relations with the US cannot serve as a benchmark for Moscow’s relations with New Delhi, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said, insisting that New Delhi is "perfectly capable of

making decisions" regarding its choice of oil purchase. Lavrov added that India's stance on continuing Russian oil despite US pressure shows the nation's "self-respect".The Russian leader also backed Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s firm remarks on India’s energy choices."This year, my colleague, I spoke to him yesterday, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will visit Russia and I will visit India. We hold regular exchanges. I'm not even asking what is going to happen to our trade relations, our oil. I don't ask our Indian colleagues this. They are perfectly capable of making these decisions for themselves," he said.

Lavrov made the comments while addressing the media after speaking at the UN General Assembly on Saturday.Earlier Jaishankar had said that India is prepared to discuss with the US the terms of agreement if the US wants to sell its oil to New Delhi. "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," Jaishankar said.Praising the statement, Lavrov called it "a very worthy response" and added that it showed India, like Turkiye, has "self-respect.Lavrov reiterated that India alone decides its partnerships. "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."If the US has proposals on how to enrich bilateral trade between the US and India, they are prepared to discuss the terms for that, whatever terms the US might put forth. But when it comes to trade, investment, economic, military, technological and other relations between India and third states, it is something that India will discuss only with those states in question," Lavrov added.He noted that both the countries hold regular high-level contacts, including PM Modi’s recent meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.Putin is also expected to visit New Delhi in December.Pointing to the breadth of cooperation between the two countries, Lavrov said, "We have a very extensive bilateral agenda -- trade, military, technical cooperation, finance, humanitarian matters, healthcare, high tech, artificial intelligence -- and of course, close coordination at the international level, within the SCO, BRICS and bilaterally".