Crimean leader in New Delhi

The leader of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, arrived for talks in New Delhi on Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Indian counterpart.

Sergey Aksyonov met a Mumbai businessman to discuss boosting trade with the Black Sea region. India does not support Western sanctions against Russia, but the meeting may prove an irritant before US President Barack Obama visits India in January.

Russian officials declined to comment, but a senior diplomat arrived with Aksyonov in New Delhi for the meeting to sign a memorandum with a business group called the Indian-Crimean Partnership.

Gul Kripalani, a seafood merchant who chairs the group, said before the meeting that it was unofficial, and Aksyonov "happened to be on the flight with Putin".

A spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs said he was not aware of that Aksyonov was a member of Putin's delegation.

Reuters

(China Daily 12/12/2014 page11)