India-Russia finalising deals ahead of Putin’s visit, says EAM Jaishankar

The meeting with Sergey Lavrov is “more important” as the two sides are preparing for Putin’s visit to India for the 23rd annual summit, Jaishankar said.

India and Russia are working to finalise several bilateral agreements, initiatives and projects ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi next month for a bilateral summit, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar (via REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

Jaishankar made the remarks during his talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting. Putin is expected to visit India in the first week of December for the annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The meeting with Lavrov is “more important” as the two sides are preparing for Putin’s visit to India for the 23rd annual summit, Jaishankar said in televised remarks. “A number of bilateral agreements, initiatives and projects are under discussion in various fields. We look forward to their finalisation in the coming days,” Jaishankar said, adding that these will add “more substance and texture” to the bilateral special and privileged strategic partnership.

Jaishankar is attending a meeting of SCO’s Council of the Heads of Government at a time when India is facing renewed pressure from the US to reduce purchases of Russian energy and military hardware as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

India’s purchases of Russian crude have reportedly fallen in recent weeks and India announced on Monday that its state-run companies had concluded a one-year structured contract to import 2.2 MTPA of LPG from the US.

However, Jaishankar said India-Russia ties “have long been a factor of stability in international relations” and the growth and evolution of the relationship is “not only in our mutual interest but also in that of the world”.

Jaishankar and Lavrov also discussed the “complex global situation with the openness that has always characterised” India-Russia ties. This included the Ukraine conflict, and the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan. “India supports recent efforts towards establishing peace. We hope that all parties approach that goal constructively,” Jaishankar said in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. “An early cessation of the conflict and the ensuring of an enduring peace is in the interest of the entire international community,” he added.

Lavrov described the partnership with India as a top priority for Russia’s and said Moscow is putting in place measures for economic cooperation with New Delhi. The two sides are also building up mechanisms to ensure trade is not hindered by the impact of illegitimate measures, Lavrov said in a reference to Western sanctions on Russia.