New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Russia 20–21 August, to meet his counterpart Sergey Lavrov, as India seeks to reinforce its strategic ties with Moscow amid growing tensions with the US. During the visit, he may call on President Vladimir Putin.
During Jaishankar’s visit, which comes on the heels of NSA Ajit Doval’s trip to Moscow, he will fine-tune the agenda for President Putin’s visit to India, later this year, which comes after a gap of 4 years.
The two-day visit comes soon after a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin Friday where both leaders “reviewed progress in the bilateral agenda, and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia”, as per an MEA statement.
The diplomatic flurry follows the imposition of a new round of U.S. tariffs on Indian goods with a 25 percent hike that effectively doubles the existing levy to 50 percent, in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. On the day President Donald Trump signed the order, Doval arrived in Moscow, where he held extensive talks with Putin and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu.
During his meetings, the NSA expressed gratitude to Russia for its support following the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, noting that India’s “special and strategic partnership” with Russia holds even greater significance at a time when the world is facing “a tumultuous situation”.
India and Russia have maintained a close strategic partnership for decades, encompassing defence, nuclear energy, and space cooperation. Despite increasing Western scrutiny of Russia’s international actions, India has sought to navigate a careful diplomatic course, preserving ties with both the West and Moscow while asserting its independence on the global stage.
Post the tariff hike and Trump’s tirade on India for buying Russian oil, India had maintained that India-Russia relations stand “on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country”.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)