Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that India continues to increase its imports of Russian energy, with purchases setting new records every month.
“I don’t want to give you any figures for understandable reasons, but every month we have a new record,” Peskov said during a virtual briefing with Indian journalists ahead of the BRICS Summit, which India will host in the national capital this week.
He also said India and Russia were gradually resolving the issue of accumulated rupee payments in bilateral trade.
Peskov said Russia and India were discussing closer cooperation in rare-earth exploration. He added that the two countries had also put Russia’s potential sale of its Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jet to India on the bilateral agenda.
Peskov said Western pressure, rather than any desire to abandon the dollar, had driven the BRICS shift towards greater use of national currencies.
He stressed that using national currencies does not amount to a de-dollarisation policy. “We do not want to claim any de-dollarisation policy. We’re simply doing what better corresponds with our national interests,” Peskov told the media.
He said some countries were using their national currencies as instruments of political pressure. “If they don’t let us use their money, we use our own money,” Peskov said.
Russia began using national currencies after Western restrictions blocked its access to the dollar and euro. Peskov said Russia does not seek “de-dollarisation” and remains open to any acceptable method of payment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, where he will discuss security, the economy, finance and culture.
Putin will also hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Trade and economic cooperation will form a major part of their discussions, Peskov added.
India’s BRICS Presidency in 2026, under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” comes at a pivotal moment. The bloc now includes Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with 10 partner countries. This expanded membership gives BRICS a significantly broader geographic and economic footprint.
For India, the expansion creates a major opportunity to boost exports, attract investment, diversify supply chains, strengthen technology partnerships and help build a more inclusive and multipolar global economic order.
The 10 partner countries — Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam — further expand BRICS’ global outreach.