Jaishankar in Moscow to co-chair India-Russia talks, deepen ties

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit that includes co-chairing the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation and addressing the India-Russia Business Forum. Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and held a separate discussion with President Vladimir Putin, as New Delhi seeks to deepen ties with Moscow amid shifting global pressures and Western sanctions on Russia.

The visit comes in a period of heightened scrutiny over India’s imports of Russian crude, with the United States citing energy purchases as funding the war in Ukraine and imposing steep tariffs on Indian goods in response. In this backdrop, India has consistently defended its energy needs as pragmatic and economically driven, stressing that it remains committed to a balanced, multi-aligned foreign policy. Jaishankar underscored that India and Russia have one of the steadiest relationships among major powers since World War II, and he reiterated a joint aim to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable manner. He noted the need to address...