Russian oil supplies to India may only decrease temporarily, as Russia plans to increase its exports of the raw material using modern technologies to avoid the impact of Western sanctions. This was stated today by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
“It is possible for a very short period of time that there will be a slight decrease in the volume of oil trade“, Peskov told Indian journalists in response to a question about the impact of sanctions on Russian exports.
His statement was preceded by a two-day visit to India by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to arrive in Delhi on Thursday.
India, which is the largest buyer of Russian oil transported by ships, has reduced crude oil imports from Moscow under pressure from Western sanctions, especially those imposed by Washington on the largest Russian oil producers “Rosneft“ and “Lukoil“, Reuters adds.
Russia is the largest oil supplier to India. The Asian country is the world's third-largest importer and consumer of oil.
Moscow is working to create the "necessary environment" for buyers seeking its oil, Peskov said during a video conference organized by the Russian news agency Sputnik.
"We have extensive experience in working under these illegal sanctions," he said, adding: "We have our own technologies for this." We will continue to improve these technologies if the sanctions continue“.
Trade between Russia and India must be protected from pressure from third parties, the Russian president's spokesman stressed, specifying that payment methods will be part of the talks between Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We believe that the imposed sanctions are illegal from the point of view of international law“, stressed Peskov, quoted by TASS
The sanctions can be considered legitimate only if they are approved by the UN Security Council, the spokesman noted.