France is aware and respects India’s energy and other ties with Russia, its foreign minister told on Thursday during a visit to the country. India did not condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, instead calling for negotiations and peace. Russia is India’s largest foreign supplier of defense hardware, and imports of Russian oil and coal to India have soared since the war.
“We know the differences in our relationship with Russia,” Catherine Colonna said in an interview during which she was asked about India’s oil trade and overall ties with Russia. “We know the history” of India’s past and present relations with Russia, Colonna said. “We respect your country’s decision to continue some relations.” India has seen a flurry of visits by Western diplomats and other officials in recent weeks as they seek to widen support for a plan by the G7 group of wealthy nations, including France, to curb the price of Russian oil.
Read Now :Japanese government support fell to 41%, from 47% in a previous poll in late August