Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was branded as a “real patriot of his country” by Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. The statement comes as India’s foreign policy on the Russia- Ukraine crisis has been streamlined over the last week.

In an interview with India Today, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov said that EAM JAishankar is a “seasoned diplomat and a real patriot of his country.”

Also Read: White House says Joe Biden believes India ties one of the most important in world

In his interview with India Today, Lavrov said that Russia’s “military operation” in Ukraine, which started on February 24, has reached a “very important moment.”

“Another stage of this operation (in eastern Ukraine) is beginning and I am sure this will be a very important moment of this entire special operation”, Russia’s top diplomat said.

The Russian Foreign Minister praised S. Jaishankar after India’s External Affairs Ministry said that the country will be making its own decisions. “We will be making the decision for our country on the basis of what India believes it needs for its development for its security”, Jaishankar said in a statement.

“Not too many countries can say something like this”, India’s top diplomat added in his statement.

While describing India’s “steadfast and consistent” stance on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the External Affairs Minister said last week that the “country expressed deep concern at the worsening situation and called for an immediate cessation of violence and end to all hostilities.”

Also Read: India stands ‘strongly against’ conflict in Ukraine: Jaishankar in Lok Sabha

The statement comes less than a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had already started the “battle for Donbas”. He added that Russian forces were now focusing on expanding the assault on the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine.

“We can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time”, Zelensky said in a recorded message.