The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev met today with the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss the “mutual interests” of the two countries, as reported by Reuters citing Russian media.

Patrushev traveled to New Delhi for the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes Russia, India, China and Central Asian countries.

Since launching its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has stepped up diplomatic efforts to bolster the influence of Asian geopolitical blocs and forums as a counterweight to the US and its NATO allies’ bids to dominate the region.

Although India has made calls for peace in Ukraine, it has benefited from the war’s impact on global energy prices, buying oil that Russia has been forced to sell cheaper due to Western sanctions. Indicatively, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday that Russian oil exports to India increased by 2,200% in the previous year.

Earlier today, moreover, oil giant Rosneft announced that it had signed a contract with an Indian company to “significantly increase” Russian oil deliveries to India.

Patrushev and Modi discussed “issues of bilateral cooperation and mutual interest,” according to a statement issued by the Russian Security Council after the meeting.