Foreign Minister Liz Truss and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov are both visiting India to strengthen ties.
Ms Truss will urge Delhi to work with other democracies to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by reducing its dependence on Moscow.
Russia’s foreign minister will urge India to bypass Western sanctions and buy more Russian oil and gas.
India has not condemned the invasion and has not voted against it at the United Nations.
Ms Truss, who has spoken of a “network of freedom”, will tell her Indian counterpart that it is important for democracies to work together to deter aggressors.
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In a statement, she said the war in Ukraine has underscored the need to increase security in the Indo-Pacific region and globally, and work more closely together in areas such as defence, trade and cybersecurity.
But Lavrov will use his visit to urge closer trade ties to lessen the impact of sanctions imposed on Moscow. Earlier this month, India agreed to import three million barrels of heavily discounted Russian oil.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale said Delhi’s reluctance to criticize the war in Ukraine reflects its Cold War ties with Moscow and the fact that about 70% of its military equipment came from Russia. US President Joe Biden has described India as “a bit shaky” on the conflict.
During her visit, the British Foreign Secretary will also confirm £70m of UK investment in renewable energy development in India, one of the world’s largest users of hydrocarbons.
She will announce a joint cyber security program aimed at protecting online infrastructure in both countries from attacks.
Last year Prime Minister Boris Johnson reached an agreement with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen ties over the next decade.
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