New Delhi: After holding talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday that New Delhi would keep “going” with its purchase of Russian crude, as it has worked to India’s gain to find access “on the most advantageous terms” when energy markets are stressed worldwide.On a two-day visit to Moscow, Jaishankar co-chaired the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation. He also held discussions with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov – their fifth meeting this year.Following the first round of talks, Lavrov and Jaishankar held a joint press conference.In answer to a question on India buying Russian crude in the face of Western disapproval, Jaishankar noted that there was “stress on the energy markets” created by a “combination of factors”.“As the world’s third-largest consumer of oil and gas, a consumer where the levels of income are not very high, it is our fundamental obligation to ensure that the Indian consumer has the best possible access on the most advantageous terms to international markets. In that aspect, we have quite honestly seen that the India-Russian relationship has worked to our advantage. If it works to my advantage, I would like to keep that going,” he stated.According to energy cargo tracker Vortexa, Russia became India’s top oil supplier in October, ahead of traditional sellers Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Russia supplied 935,556 barrels per day of crude oil to India in October. Till March, Russian imports were just 0.2% of India’s oil basket. But, it has now ballooned to 22%.Following the Ukraine war, the West has been attempting to curb the sale of Russian crude to tighten finances for Moscow’s defence spending. As the war in Ukraine shows no sign of resolution, there has been increased scrutiny in Western capitals over Indian and Chinese purchases of Russian crude.Jaishankar didn’t answer the question on the G7 proposal planned for December 5 to put a price cap on oil to prevent Russia from profiting from high oil prices.A US Treasury official said on Monday, ahead of secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to India, that the United States was not seeking to dissuade India from buying Russian crude. On the contrary, the official told reporters that India will benefit from the cap’s lower prices.Standing next to the Indian minister, Lavrov said that Russia might boost energy supplies to India. He stated that both countries have “good prospects in energy cooperation”, including nuclear energy, oil and gas development in Arctic Shelf and Russia’s far east.“We pointed out good prospects for cooperation in the energy sector, including an increase in exports of hydrocarbons from Russia to the Indian market and mutual participation in projects for their production, including in the Far East and on the Arctic shelf of the Russian Federation,” he said.The Indian minister also noted that there was “significant growth” in bilateral trade, which has been “accelerated by the stresses that the global economy is currently experiencing, including as a result of the Ukraine conflict”.Jaishankar added that India raised concerns about the trade imbalance and asked Russia “to address impediments that stand in the way of greater Indian exports”.The Russian minister remarked that bilateral trade had increased by 130% in September this year compared to the same period last year. With the trade volume reaching $17 billion, he expressed optimism that the target of $30 billion will soon be met.In his opening statement at the press conference, Jaishankar said that the Ukraine war figured prominently in their discussions.Stating that the global south was reeling from the economic consequences, he said India strongly advocates a return to dialogue and diplomacy.“We are clearly on the side of peace, respect for international law and support for the UN Charter. Insofar as specific initiatives pertaining to issues like food grains and fertiliser shipments are concerned, or any other problem for that matter, India will be as helpful as we can be. Indeed, I would say that for any initiative that de-risks the global economy and stabilises the global order at this stage, India will be supportive,” he added.India, with its long-standing relations with Russia, has never directly criticised Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.Answering another query, the Indian minister urged the world not to forget Afghanistan. “Because it is not getting the attention that it deserves”.On the terrorism threat, he said, “The international community has good reason to have concerns about terrorists and terrorist organisations who operate out of Afghanistan. There have been commitments given in that regard. It is legitimate that the International community, especially the neighbours, work together to ensure that there is no terrorist threat that comes out of Afghanistan”.