Moscow: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that there is no slowdown in India’s Russian energy imports which continue to set records.
“I don’t want to give you any figures for understandable reasons, but every month we have a new record,” Peskov said in a virtual briefing with Indian journalists, ahead of the BRICS Summit to be held in the national capital this week.
He also said the issue of accumulated rupee payments in the India-Russia bilateral trade was gradually being resolved.
Peskov further stated that Russia and India are holding discussions for closer cooperation in the exploration of rare earths, while the issue of Russia selling its Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jet to India is on the bilateral agenda.
Peskov said that the BRICS currency shift was driven by Western pressure, not desire to abandon the dollar.
He pointed out that the use of national currencies is not a de-dollarisation policy. “We do not want to claim any de-dollarisation policy. We’re simply doing what better corresponds with our national interests,” Peskov told the media.
He further stated that certain countries are using some national currencies as a tool for political pressure. “If they don’t let us use their money, we use our own money,” Peskov said.
Russia turned to national currencies after being denied right to use the dollar and euro. Russia does not seek “de-dollarisation” and is open to every acceptable method of payment, he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, where he will promote security, the economy, finance and culture.
Putin will also hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, with trade and economy forming a large part of the agenda, he added.
India’s BRICS Presidency in 2026, under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” comes at a pivotal moment. With an expanded membership comprising Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with 10 partner countries, BRICS@21 now has a significantly broader geographic and economic footprint.
For India, this expansion presents a major opportunity to strengthen exports, attract investment, diversify supply chains, promote technology partnerships and contribute to a more inclusive and multipolar global economic order.
The partner countries, including Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, further broaden the outreach.
(IANS)
