The current crisis in Ukraine will have consequences for the whole world, including for Russia-India relations, and the extent of its impact cannot be envisaged now, Russian Ambassador🌜 Denis Alipov said on Saturday.
At the same time, he said India can take advantage of the situation to bolster economic ties with Russia as Moscow's Western partners 𝕴have refused 🗹to cooperate with it.
The Russian envoy said the current situation has presented a "window of opportunity" for Indian businesses to expand their presence in Ruᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚssia and that it would make sense for India to take a closer look at economic cooperation with Russia.
Thඣe remarks of the ambassador featured in a video posted by the Russian embassy on its Twitter h♚andle.
"This crisis will have consequences for the whole world, including🍌 for the Russia-India relations. To what extent, it will be reflec💃ted, probably no one can say now," Alipov said.
"We perceive from the fact that our relations are developing in the interests of the༺ two countries and they are of strategic nature. There may be an impact in terms of transactions," he said.
Referring to the possible impact of the Western sanctions on Ind♏ia-Russia ties, he said there is a bilateral mechanism for mutual settlements of transactions in national currencies.
"There is a working bilateral mechanism for mutual settlements in na♎tional currencies which is already being used. Th💫e only question is how to use it on a wider scale," he said.
The ambassador 𝐆suggested that the use of the mechanism widely will help in offsetting the impact of the sanction🐷s.
"It makes sense for the Indians to take advantage of the situation when many Westeꩵrn partners refused to cooperate with us, a🍒nd more actively penetrate the Russian market," he said.
"This is a window of opportunity for Indian businesses. It also makes sense for India to take a closer look at cooperﷺation with Russia," Alipov said.
The ambassador also complimented India for its "independent" foreign🎶 policy.
"We have repeatedly stated that we welcome the independent foreign policy of India and strengthening of its role and inf𝄹luence in the international arena," he said.
India has abstained from resolutions at the United Nations which were brought up to criticise Russia for its military aggression on Ukraine. "We never put any pressure on her (India) and do not set any conditions as yo🐼u know. The Indians are now under severe pressure in the US," Alipov said.
On the evacuation of stranded Indians fro✃m conflict zones in Ukraine, the Russian ambassador said his government has been trying its best to take them out from ea🌱stern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Sumy and Pisochyn.
Alipov claimed that around 3,000 India🎃ns are stuck in Kharkiv, nearly 900 in Pisochyn and 67༺0 in Sumy.
However, at a med♈ia briefing on Saturday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the safe exit of Indians from Kharkiv and Pisochyn is almost complete.
"Pisochyn has been evacuated of all Indian citizens. The missꦰion will continue to remain in touch with them through their journey," the Indian embassy in Ukraine tweeted in the evening.
Ba🐠gchi said India is now focusing on evacuating around 700 Indian students from Sumy, a c🐟ity in eastern Ukraine that is around 60 km from the Russian border.
&quo♔t;The Indians turned to us for help and we responded. We created special groups that are ready to take the Indians to Russian territory and then transport them to In🤡dia.
"But the catch is that the fighting in these areas continues and where the Indians are, our forces are not. There is no way to pick t☂hem up. We have to meet in some places that are not under fire from Ukraine," Alipov said.
He said the Russian side doesn't have access to these areas and that fight▨ing has been going o🍰n with the Ukrainian troops.
The envoy said Russia has kept ready hundreds of buses along its borders for transporting the stranded ওIndians.
"Our buses are waiting and will wait as long as it takes," he said. (With PTI inputs)
