New Delhi, August 21(HS)

In a significant diplomatic engagement on Thursday(August 21,2025), India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, reaffirming the deep-rooted and resilient partnership between the two nations. The high-level meeting followed comprehensive discussions earlier in the day between Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Central to these talks was the emphasis on expanding bilateral trade and strengthening economic ties, amidst mounting US tariffs and pressure on India, particularly concerning its oil imports from Russia.

Jaishankar described the India-Russia relationship as one of the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War, a sentiment echoed during the joint media briefing with Lavrov. He underlined that geopolitical convergence, sustained leadership engagement, and strong popular sentiment continue to drive this enduring alliance. The discussions included a broad agenda covering politics, trade, investment, defense, science, technology, and people-to-people exchanges.

Despite the US imposing a 25% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods along with an additional 25% duty targeting India's Russian oil purchases—a move Washington justified by accusing India of profiteering and alleged fuel support to the Ukraine conflict—Jaishankar publicly challenged these assertions, highlighting that India is not the largest buyer of Russian oil and LNG, with China and the EU leading in those categories, respectively.

During his three-day visit, which also saw him co-chair the 26th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), Jaishankar emphasized the mutual ambition of the two countries to boost bilateral trade by removing non-tariff barriers and regulatory roadblocks. There was a shared commitment to increase Indian exports to Russia, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and textiles, aiming to correct the current trade imbalance. The dialogue also extended to energy cooperation, defense collaboration, and long-term supply arrangements, including fertilizers.

The meeting was also a platform to discuss Russia’s upcoming presidential visit to India scheduled for later this year and underscored cooperation in global governance reform efforts, including UN Security Council expansion and collaboration across multilateral forums such as G20, BRICS, and SCO.

This interaction marks a robust signal of India’s strategic autonomy and steadfast partnership with Russia amid worsening US-India trade relations and geopolitical complexities, emphasizing a balanced and sustainable growth trajectory for the bilateral relationship moving forward

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar