The world’s top coal lobby group is defending its relationships with Russian mining companies and executives, saying it is an “agnostic” organisation that does not discriminate against any nation on geopolitical grounds.

The organisation – known as the World Coal Association until last year, when it rebranded as FutureCoal – said it would continue to allow Russian miners to join Australian companies such as Incitec Pivot, Whitehaven Coal and Yancoal as members despite the sanctions imposed by major economies on Russian companies after the invasion of Ukraine.