NEW DELHI: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov briefly halted a press conference in New Delhi after a journalist speaking on the phone repeatedly interrupted the briefing, prompting a sharp warning from the senior diplomat.Distracted by the ongoing phone conversation, Lavrov initially asked the journalist to leave the conference room. However, when the call continued, he issued a sharper warning, saying the phone should be put away or security personnel would “take the gun out.”A video of the incident, which has since circulated widely on social media, showed Lavrov pausing mid-address and asking the journalist to leave the room. Initially composed, he said, “Can you just leave us? It’s either you yourself or your phone,” before attempting to resume the briefing.As the phone conversation continued to disrupt the event, Lavrov’s tone grew more stern. “Can you leave us? I am not joking,” he said, according to the video. Moments later, visibly irritated, he warned, “If you don’t surrender your phone, they will take out the gun,” and then he continued to brief the press.Lavrov has been in New Delhi to attend the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting. Addressing the press on the sidelines of the meet on Friday, he said crude oil supplies from Russia to India have continued to rise despite Western sanctions on Moscow and growing geopolitical pressure, ANI reported. He added that the increase in Russian oil exports to India was reflected in publicly available trade data.“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 said during a media briefing, according to ANI.India has continued importing discounted Russian crude since Western nations imposed sanctions on Moscow following the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that its energy procurement decisions are guided by national interest and the need to ensure affordable energy supplies for its domestic economy.Russia has emerged as one of India’s largest crude oil suppliers over the past few years as global trade flows shifted in the wake of the war in Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions. The surge in imports has also strengthened energy ties between New Delhi and Moscow despite criticism from several Western countries.During the briefing, Lavrov also criticised the United States over its global energy strategy, alleging that Washington was seeking to dominate international energy supply chains while simultaneously targeting major Russian energy companies through sanctions and restrictions.
