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Sergei Lavrov at the Raisina conference in New Delhi on March 3
Photo: ANUSHREE FADNAVIS / REUTERS
In connection with the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, India is trying to maintain a neutral position – also because it benefits from cheap oil supplies and is militarily linked to Moscow.
New Delhi abstained when a UN resolution at the end of February called for Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine.
But when Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made an appearance at a conference in New Delhi, the audience showed that Russian propaganda is well recognized in India.
The scene came near the end of Lavrov's half-hour appearance at the Raisina Conference in New Delhi, a multilateral meeting on geopolitics and geoeconomics.
A moderator questioned Lavrov critically, and the foreign minister repeatedly announced well-known Kremlin propaganda positions: NATO is the real aggressor, Russia has centuries-old claims on Ukraine.
Then came questions from the audience, one viewer wanted to know how the war affects Russia's energy strategy towards Asian countries and especially India.
Lavrov began: "You know, the war that we are trying to stop and that has been instigated against us by using Ukraine..." Then he faltered - because the audience was laughing at him.
(Here is the full length interrogation, recorded by the Indian media website Firstpost. The scene in question is at minute 28:50.)
The scene went viral on social media.
Konstantin Sonin calls the performance "embarrassing" and "hilarious" in a tweet.
He is Russia's best-known economist and currently teaches in Chicago.
Lavrov spread "lies that Russian 'diplomats' use to feed Putin's fantasies in order to be promoted" - and they were recognized as lies.
Other users recalled that it was only Russia that crossed the borders of another country.
Some asked how Lavrov could say such a thing without making a face.
At the end of the conversation at the conference, the moderator thanked Lavrov and expressed his hope that the next meeting would take place in a less precarious world situation.
"The Americans will certainly provide you with questions that you can use," Lavrov said simply, again drawing laughter.
Lavrov had previously attended the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi.
A final declaration of the meeting failed because the Europeans wanted to include wording that the group rejects the war against Ukraine and demands the immediate withdrawal of the Russians.
China and Russia had blocked the statement.
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