India used the air base at Ayni in Tajikistan during a 2001 evacuation operation after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.

US President Donald Trump again claimed India is being "very good" on reducing Russian oil imports, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that New Delhi's import policy is driven by the consistent priority to safeguard Indian consumer interests,

The impact of President Donald Trump’s attempt to financially choke Moscow’s war machine by imposing sanctions on Russian oil firms was instant; not on the battlefield in Ukraine, but in the offices of oil traders in India and China,

U.S. and EU sanctions on Russia's top oil producers have heaped pressure on India's refiners, especially Reliance Industries. The golden run of discounted Russian barrels that boosted their profits and margins may be coming to an end.

Joint venture of state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Mittal group suspend 'further purchases' due to recent announcements of new restrictions - Anadolu Ajansı

Still, India maintains close ties with Russia, and is its partner in BRICS, SCO and the G20. New Delhi views this as a strategic step to curb Chinese dominance within these groupings, and endeavors to keep its own interests on Moscow’s radar.

While Trump acknowledged that China buys "a lot" of Russian oil, he added that the topic was not really discussed.

Top officials of Indian and Russian militaries in a meeting here reaffirmed their commitment to elevate the bilateral defence cooperation and mulling new avenues for collaboration and knowledge sharing.