New Delhi, April 2 -- Russian first deputy prime minister Denis Manturov will begin his two-day India visit on Thursday, according to the external affairs ministry, with bilateral relations, especially security and defence ties, and the West Asia conflict expected to top the agenda. Manturov is scheduled to meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, according to the ministry. Doval and Manturov are expected to discuss cooperation in crucial areas such as defence, security, energy and trade. Following a month-long sanctions waiver by the US, Russia has again become the largest supplier of crude oil to India in recent weeks. Ahead of Manturov's visit, foreign secretary Vikram Misri and Russian deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko co-chaired the foreign office consultations in New Delhi on March 30 and reviewed bilateral ties and shared perspectives on regional and global issues. Both sides also assessed the progress in implementing decisions made at the India-Russia Summit in New Delhi last December, which had focused on economic cooperation. Manturov's visit will follow the Indian government's decision to acquire five more S-400 air defence systems from Russia in the wake of the system's performance during Operation Sindoor, the four-day conflict with Pakistan last year. India concluded a $5-billion deal with Russia in October 2018 to buy five S-400 air defence systems despite a warning by the US that the contract could attract sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act....