‘They will take out a gun’: Russia’s Lavrov warns journalist on phone during Delhi press briefing
New Delhi: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov briefly halted a news conference in New Delhi after a journalist repeatedly interrupted the briefing over the phone, prompting a sharp warning from the senior diplomat.Confused by the ongoing phone conversation, Lavrov initially asked the journalist to leave the conference room. However, when the call continued, he issued a sharp warning that the phone should be removed or the security personnel would “pull out the gun.”A video of the incident, which has been widely circulated on social media, shows Lavrov pausing mid-address and asking the journalist to leave the room. Initially composed, he said, “Can you leave us? It’s either you or your phone,” before attempting to resume the briefing.As the phone conversation continued to interrupt the event, Lavrov’s tone grew harsher. “Can you leave us? I’m not kidding,” he said, according to the video. After a while, visibly annoyed, he warned, “If you don’t hand over your phone, they’re going to take out the gun,” and then continued to brief the press.Lavrov has arrived in New Delhi to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting. Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the meeting on Friday, he said crude oil supplies from Russia to India continued despite Western sanctions and mounting geopolitical pressure on Moscow, ANI reported. He added that the increase in Russian oil exports to India is reflected in publicly available trade data.“We released this information in the global media… This information shows that oil supply has increased in India, and it is not up to us, it is up to our Indian counterpart…” According to ANI, Lavrov said this at a media briefing.India has continued to import discounted Russian crude since Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow following the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has repeatedly said that its energy procurement decisions are guided by the national interest and the need to ensure affordable energy supply 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 have shifted in the wake of the war in Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions. The surge in imports has strengthened the power relationship between New Delhi and Moscow, despite criticism from various Western countries.During the briefing, Lavrov also criticized the US’s global energy strategy, alleging that Washington is seeking to dominate the international energy supply chain while simultaneously targeting major Russian energy companies with sanctions and restrictions.
