President Joe Biden will speak with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as he presses world leaders to take a stronger stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
India’s neutral stance in the war raised concerns in Washington and drew praise from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who congratulated India this month for judging “the situation as a whole, not just unilaterally.”
India abstained when the UN General Assembly voted on Thursday to suspend Russia from its seat on the Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian soldiers committed atrocities in Ukraine.
The vote in the Assembly was 93-24 with 58 abstentions.
In the virtual meeting, Biden will discuss the consequences of Russia’s war on Ukraine “and mitigating its destabilizing impact on the world’s food supply and commodity markets,” the White House press secretary said on Sunday. , Jen Psaki, in a statement.
They will talk about “strengthening the global economy and upholding a free, open and rules-based international order to bolster security, democracy and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
India continues to buy Russian energy supplies, despite pressure from Western countries not to buy Russian oil and gas. The United States has also considered sanctions on India for its recent purchase of advanced Russian air defense systems.
Last month, the state-owned Indian Oil Corp. bought 3 million barrels of crude from Russia. However, it is not the only country that buys Russian energy. Several European allies, such as Germany, continue to do so.
According to the Indian press, Russia was offering a 20% discount on oil purchases compared to international reference prices.