Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said New Delhi would continue to purchase crude from Russia as its people required oil at a discount after the surge in global prices.

India has started buying oil from Russia, she said, adding that the transition to gas was challenging as supplies had reduced.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is on a visit to New Delhi to get support after the US and British officials pressed India to avoid undermining the dollar-based financial system and sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.