India-Russia talks: Jaishankar and Lavrov discuss bilateral ties, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday, with the two leaders discussing bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues.
The meeting took place on the second day of Mr. Jaishankar's two-day visit to Russia, which began on Sunday. It comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's expected visit to New Delhi for the BRICS leaders' summit scheduled for September 12-13.
Sharing details of the meeting on X, Mr. Jaishankar wrote: "A wide-ranging conversation this evening with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Discussed our bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues."
According to a report by state-run TASS news agency, the Russian foreign ministry said the two ministers coordinated approaches on the situations in Afghanistan, Iran, and Ukraine. "Talks between the two top diplomats focused on the current issues on the international agenda. In particular, they coordinated approaches to the situation in Afghanistan, around Iran, and Ukraine. The sides reiterated mutual commitment to continuing close coordination within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS, and the Group of Twenty," the report said.
The ministers also agreed to strengthen trust-based dialogue at all levels, the TASS report added.
On Monday, Mr. Jaishankar called on President Putin, with the two sides discussing economic ties, focusing on trade, energy, fertilisers and nuclear cooperation. Mr. Jaishankar also co-chaired a meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
The IRIGC-TEC meeting reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural fields. The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic engagement and explore new areas of partnership.
The discussions on Ukraine come at a time when India has consistently called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. India has not condemned Russia's actions and has continued to purchase Russian energy and defence equipment, maintaining its long-standing ties with Moscow. On Afghanistan, both countries have shared interests in ensuring stability and have also cooperated in providing humanitarian assistance. On Iran, the focus is likely on regional security and the ongoing international negotiations over its nuclear programme.
The visit underscores the continuing high-level engagement between India and Russia even as global geopolitical dynamics remain complex. The two countries have maintained a steady dialogue on bilateral and international issues, and the forthcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi is expected to further strengthen their coordination on multilateral platforms.
