Moscow: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin and is understood to have discussed various aspects of India-Russia ties.
The meeting came hours after Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that largely focused on expanding the trade ties between the two countries.
The external affairs minister landed in Moscow Tuesday on a three-day visit to explore ways to expand bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, energy and technology against the backdrop of tensions in India’s ties with the US over the Trump administration’s policies on tariff.
Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on Wednesday that focused on preparations for Putin’s visit to India later this year for summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a social media post, the external affairs minister said he conveyed to President Putin the warm greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi.
“Apprised him of my discussions with First DPM Denis Manturov & FM Sergey Lavrov. The preparations for the Annual Leaders Summit are well underway,” he said.
“Appreciate his sharing perspectives on the global situation and recent developments on Ukraine,” he added.
Before meeting Putin, Jaishankar said at a press conference that India and Russia have been among the “steadiest” of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War.
“Geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers,” he said.
PTI
