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- Foreign minister tells lawmakers in Parliament that Russia continues to be critical economic partner
- Officials have earlier stated Indian government has been looking to establish rupee-rouble trade system
MUMBAI: India's foreign minister said on Wednesday the government is working to stabilise economic transactions with Russia, a day after India condemned killings of civilians in Ukraine and called for an independent probe.
S. Jaishankar told lawmakers in the Parliament that Russia continues to be a critical economic partner and efforts were underway to "stabilise economic transactions between India and Russia."
Russia is India's main supplier of defence hardware but overall annual trade is small, averaging about $9 billion in the past few years, mainly fertiliser and some oil.
Official sources have earlier stated that Indian government has been looking to establish a rupee-rouble trade system.
On Tuesday India' permanent representative to the United Nations, told a meeting of the Security Council that India condemned the killings of civilians in Ukraine's Bucha and called for an independent investigation.
Moscow has denied targeting civilians.
New Delhi has repeatedly called for an end to violence in Ukraine, but has abstained from various UN resolutions on the war as it balances its diplomatic ties with Moscow and the West.
"Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing," T.S. Tirumurti, India's permanent representative to the United Nations, told a meeting of the Security Council.
"We unequivocally condemn these killings and support the call for an independent investigation."
Tirumurti delivered his speech shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone conversation with India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The United States has repeatedly urged India to condemn Russia's aggression since the Feb. 24 invasion.