New Delhi, May 15 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday confirmed that Russian crude oil exports to India have surged, reinforcing a strategic partnership that continues to defy global pressures and Western sanctions.

Responding to a query from ANI during a media briefing on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the national capital, the Kremlin's top diplomat pointed to transparent records to validate increased oil supplies to India.

"We published this data in the global media... This information shows that oil supplies to India increased, and it does not depend on us, but on our Indian counterparts...," Lavrov stated.

It comes as India continues to buy discounted Russian oil despite Western sanctions,...