Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia fully respects India’s national interests and the independent foreign policy being pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lavrov asserted that India’s ties with the US or any other country cannot be a benchmark for New Delhi-Moscow ties.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Lavrov said India and Russia share a particularly privileged strategic partnership.

He added that the situations that might arise between India and the United States or any other country cannot be criteria for India-Russia relations.

He also praised External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s firm stance on energy trade referencing Jaishankar’s statement which noted that purchasing oil could be considered but decisions about oil buying sources are matter of national sovereignty.