India and Russia Discuss Free Trade Agreement

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Denis Manturov stated that "India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement, in a move that would enhance the bilateral trade relations that have flourished since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine." Manturov mentioned that "Moscow aims to increase imports of machinery from India to improve the trade balance." India has not explicitly criticized Russia's attack on Ukraine, which Moscow describes as a "special military operation." India has called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialogue. Last month, Russia surpassed Iraq to become India's largest supplier of crude oil. India's total imports from Russia surged nearly fourfold to reach $46.33 billion for the year ending March 31.