Dr. S. Jaishankar and Vladimir Putin at the meeting
Dr. S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.
During the discussion, President Putin invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia, stating it would allow them to discuss all current concerns and the prognosis for bilateral relations.
Russian President said, “We will be glad to see our friend, Mr. Prime Minister Modi in Russia”.
He went on to say, “We will be able to discuss all current issues and talk about the outlook for the development of Russian-Indian relations. We have a very large amount of work to do”.
He invited the Indian minister to convey ‘his best wishes’ and an invitation to visit Russian to Prime Minister Modi.
Putin acknowledged that India will be preoccupied with internal affairs next year, as the country prepares to hold the Lok Sabha elections.
Putin also stated that the trade between Russia and India is growing, notably in the field of crude oil and high technology.
“Our trade turnover is growing, for the second year in a row at the same time and at a steady pace. The growth rate this year is even higher than in the last year”, Putin remarked.
As soon as the meeting began, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed Jaishankar that they would tackle the Ukraine war.
“We know Prime Minister Modi’s position and we have repeatedly spoken about this — the position concerning his attitude to complex processes, including hotspots, to the situation in Ukraine”, Vladimir Putin continued.
Putin further said, “I have repeatedly informed him about the situation around this conflict. I know about his conflict. I know about his desire to do everything to resolve this problem peacefully, but we will now talk more about it. We will provide you with additional information about this situation”.
On Tuesday, Jaishankar conducted a comprehensive and productive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Manturov.
The two leaders also saw the signing of some very important agreements connected to the development of the future power-generating units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, Jaishankar met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Jaishankar expressed confidence that PM Modi and President Putin will meet for an annual summit next year during a joint media appearance with Lavrov following their talks.
Jaishankar stated earlier in his introductory remarks that the two leaders had been in regular contact.
The summit between India’s Prime Minister and Russia’s president is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the two countries’ strategic alliance.
Until now, 21 annual summits have alternated between India and Russia. The most recent summit was held in New Delhi in December 2021.
Despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, India and Russia’s relationship remained strong.
India has yet to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, arguing that the crisis must be resolved via diplomacy and negotiation.
Also read: US To Give Ukraine Up To $250 Million During War For Arms And Equipment
