"Moscow and Islamabad have a mutual desire to increase bilateral cooperation, primarily in energy and other sectors of the economy," Lavrov said at a meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Moscow.
Earlier in the month, Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov and Pakistani Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq said in a joint statement that Moscow and Islamabad would approve all the details of Russia's oil and gas supplies to Pakistan by March.
In addition, the energy minister noted that Russia could take part in Pakistan’s power generation projects, including on modernization and construction of hydroelectric power plants, as well as modernization of thermal power plants.
Meanwhile, Russia's top diplomat said Moscow has no doubt that the United States will try to hamper the oil deal between Russia and Pakistan.
"Regarding... the United States' guarantees that they will not obstruct our deals in the energy sphere: of course they will. The United States literally, publicly, unashamedly, quite arrogantly states that we cannot do business with Russia. There have been threats against China recently, as well as against India, Turkey, and Egypt. There is not a single country left to which the United States has not sent such neo-colonial messages," Lavrov said.
Western countries have been seeking ways to limit Russia's income from oil and gas exports, as well as their dependence on Russian fuel since the country launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
On December 5, the European Union placed a price cap of $60 per barrel on Russian crude oil, and was joined by the G7 nations and Australia. The EU sanctions provide for a price ceiling on Russian refined products starting from February 5.