With Lavrov's journey to Delhi, Russian crude oil is in the spotlight.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov put his palms together in the customary Indian namaste as he was welcomed onto the tarmac at Delhi airport yesterday. Russia may be viewed as a foe by many throughout the world, but it remains an ally in our country.

Lavrov is in India today for meetings, which are anticipated to include discussions about how India may increase its oil purchases from Moscow.

His trip to the country is his first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and it comes just a day after UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss visited Delhi. Lavrov, unlike Truss, is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi has been silent on the Ukraine crisis so far; while Modi has called for an end to the carnage, he has refrained from condemning Russia's activities.

The two countries have had a long-standing relationship: India gets the majority of its armaments from Moscow, but the sale of inexpensive crude oil from Russia is likely to be the focus of today's talks.

Russia has offered India a payment mechanism for oil that does not violate sanctions, but the US deputy national security adviser, who was in Delhi yesterday, cautioned that countries that actively try to dodge sanctions will face "consequences."

Officials in India emphasize that Russian oil accounts for just a small percentage of the country's overall energy supplies and that Europe still imports significantly more.