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When there is an increased pressure from the Western Nations on India to take a pro-US stand on Ukraine crisis, Amid pressure from the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday the 1st of April 2022 said that his country is ready to discuss supply of oil and high technology to India and also said that New Delhi can play the role of a mediator between Moscow and Ukraine.

In remarks to the media after holding bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here, Lavrov also said that India and Russia are moving towards a rupee-ruble system of payment.

Lavrov, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening, said: “If India wants to buy anything from us, we are ready to discuss and reach mutually acceptable cooperation.”

“We will be ready to supply to India any goods which it wants to buy from us. We are ready to discuss. Russia and India have very good relations.”

To a question on the possibility of India becoming a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, he said: “India is an important country, if India sees to play that role which provides resolution of the problem…. If India is with its position of a just and rational approach to international problems, it can support such a process.”

During his call on PM Narendra Modi later in the day, the Prime Minister too “conveyed India’s readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts”, while reiterating his call for an early cessation of violence.

Asked if Russia and India were moving to the rupee-ruble system of payment to bypass sanctions, Lavrov told reporters that Moscow has started moving away from using dollars and euros to use of national currencies in dealings with India, China and other countries many years ago. “Under the circumstances, this trend, I believe, will be intensified, which is natural and obvious… The rupee-ruble has been going on for a long time.