Editor's Pick: Russian Foreign Minister’s visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Delhi this week for official meetings as the war in Ukraine completes one month. The visit, the first by a senior Russian official since President Vladimir Putin invaded neighbouring country Ukraine, comes amid a flurry of visits by several leaders who backed the Western-supported sanctions regime, seeking a shift in India’s position, which has not criticised Moscow for the invasion yet. Mr. Lavrov’s visit will be seen as an outreach to India as the U.S. and European allies increase pressure to “isolate” Russia, and increase defence exports to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, and call on other countries to support their efforts. Mr. Lavrov’s visit is expected to focus on strategic issues resulting from the war, as well as specific discussions on purchasing Russian oil, payment mechanisms, given the sanctions against Russian banks and exclusion from the SWIFT (the global messaging network of banks and financial institutions), and possible disruptions in the supply of military hardware. The Modi Government indicated in Parliament last week that it is considering offers of discounted Russian oil and a special inter-ministerial group headed by the Finance Ministry is looking into the payments issues for Indian importers and exporters that arise from the war and Western sanctions. India would also be looking for clarity and assurances from Russia on timely delivery of spares and components for systems in use and of the deals under way, including S-400 missile systems and AK-203 assault rifles, as well as streamlining the rupee-rouble payment system for any future purchases. Just last week Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in the country for a brief visit. The friction between the two remains unresolved. Yet China and India find themselves at odds with the western sanctions regime that has isolated Russia and threatens to split global transactions into a dollar vs non-dollar system, as pointed out by an editorial in the newspaper. The report on Mr. Lavrov’s visit is on the front page of The Hindu for its tremendous importance to the continued relationship between the two countries as it comes under strain. With no end to the war in sight, India and Russia will be working out the modalities to keep their relationship going. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. Click here The Hindu Explains Lotus pose: On Yogi Adityanath and BJP’s pan-India ambitions Talking and listening: On Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s India visit The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Who is the first woman Supreme Court judge in India? Indu Malhotra Fathima Beevi B.V. Nagarathna Sujata Manohar To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 28 MARCH 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Russian Foreign Minister’s visit Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov [will visit Delhi this week]( for official meetings as the war in Ukraine completes one month. The visit, the first by a senior Russian official since President Vladimir Putin invaded neighbouring country Ukraine, comes amid a flurry of visits by several leaders who backed the Western-supported sanctions regime, seeking a shift in India’s position, which has not criticised Moscow for the invasion yet. Mr. Lavrov’s visit will be seen as an outreach to India as the U.S. and European allies increase pressure to “isolate” Russia, and increase defence exports to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, and call on other countries to support their efforts. Mr. Lavrov’s visit is expected to focus on strategic issues resulting from the war, as well as specific discussions on purchasing Russian oil, payment mechanisms, given the sanctions against Russian banks and [exclusion from the SWIFT]( (the global messaging network of banks and financial institutions), and possible disruptions in the supply of military hardware. The Modi Government indicated in Parliament last week that it is considering offers of discounted Russian oil and a special inter-ministerial group headed by the Finance Ministry is looking into the payments issues for Indian importers and exporters that arise from the war and Western sanctions. India would also be looking for clarity and assurances from Russia on timely delivery of spares and components for systems in use and of the deals under way, including S-400 missile systems and AK-203 assault rifles, as well as streamlining the rupee-rouble payment system for any future purchases. Just last week Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi [was in the country for a brief visit](. The friction between the two remains unresolved. Yet China and India find themselves at odds with the western sanctions regime that has isolated Russia and threatens to split global transactions into a dollar vs non-dollar system, as pointed out by an editorial in the newspaper. The report on Mr. Lavrov’s visit is on the front page of The Hindu for its tremendous importance to the continued relationship between the two countries as it comes under strain. With no end to the war in sight, India and Russia will be working out the modalities to keep their relationship going. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more.  [Click here]( The Hindu Explains [Arrow][Lotus pose: On Yogi Adityanath and BJP’s pan-India ambitions]( [Arrow][Talking and listening: On Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s India visit]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Who is the first woman Supreme Court judge in India? - Indu Malhotra - Fathima Beevi - B.V. 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