Jaishankar, Lavrov hail strong India-Russia ties

Hailing India and Russia relations as “very steady” and “very strong,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said he was “confident” that the annual India-Russia leadership summit that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have skipped for two years, will be held in 2024, even as Mr. Putin extended an invitation to PM Modi to visit.

“We will be glad to see our friend, Mr. Prime Minister Modi, in Russia,” Mr. Putin told Mr. Jaishankar during a meeting on Wednesday evening in Moscow, official news agencies reported, adding that the Russian President discussed the situation in Ukraine in some detail with the External Affairs Minister.

Mr. Jaishankar met with President Putin after a day of meetings with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and after holding Inter-governmental Commission (IR-IGC) talks with Russian Deputy Trade Minister Denis Manturov on Tuesday.

He is traveling next to St Petersburg for a 5-day visit to Russia.