Jaishankar, Lavrov hold wide-ranging Moscow talks on Ukraine and BRICS
S Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov held wide-ranging talks in Moscow on bilateral ties and key global issues. The meeting underlined India and Russia's push to deepen economic engagement and multilateral coordination ahead of the BRICS summit.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, with the two sides discussing bilateral cooperation, regional flashpoints, global challenges and multilateral issues. The current situation around Ukraine, Iran and Afghanistan also figured in the talks, according to Russia's state-run TASS news agency, which cited the Russian foreign ministry.
Jaishankar, who arrived in Moscow on Sunday, is on a two-day visit to Russia. His visit comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's expected visit to New Delhi for the BRICS leaders' summit on September 12-13.
"A wide-ranging conversation this evening with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Discussed our bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues," Jaishankar posted on X on Tuesday.
According to the TASS report, "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." It added that "the ministers agreed to strengthen trust-based dialogue at all levels".
The meeting is significant as India and Russia seek to deepen economic engagement and expand cooperation in a range of areas. On Monday, Jaishankar called on President Putin, and the two sides discussed economic ties, focusing on trade, energy, fertilisers and nuclear cooperation. Jaishankar also co-chaired a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation.
The visit saw India and Russia review their bilateral cooperation as well as key international issues, while also taking forward discussions on economic ties and coordination in multilateral forums.
With PTI Inputs