Russian foreign minister Lavrov to visit India on March 31

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to India from March 31 to April 1, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday.

It would be the highest-level visit from Russia to India after Moscow launched its military offensive against Ukraine on February 24.

Lavrov is expected to travel to India after completing a two-day visit to China. “Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to New Delhi on 31 March-1 April 2022,” the government stated in a press release.

Despite mounting pressure from the West, China and India haven’t condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

India also abstained from UN resolutions censuring Russia and continues to buy Russian oil and other goods.

The foreign ministry has not given any details on whom the Russian leader would meet on his trip, which coincides with visits by British foreign secretary Liz Truss and US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh.