Jaishankar Meets Putin and Lavrov in Moscow, Pushes Strategic Ties Ahead of Annual Summit

Moscow, Aug 2025 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, underscoring India’s efforts to deepen its “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” with Russia ahead of the annual bilateral summit scheduled later this year.

According to the Russian President’s office, the meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov—who also chairs the Russian side of the Intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation—and India’s Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar.

Broad-Ranging Talks With Lavrov

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held detailed talks with Foreign Minister Lavrov. The two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on a wide range of global and regional issues including the Ukraine conflict, developments in Europe and West Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Indian subcontinent.

“Pleased to meet FM Sergei Lavrov today in Moscow. Had a detailed discussion on our bilateral ties, including trade, investment, energy, fertilizers, health, skilling and mobility, defence, and people-to-people exchanges,” Jaishankar posted on X. “We exchanged views on Ukraine, Europe, Iran, West Asia, Afghanistan and the Indian sub-continent. Also spoke about our cooperation in UN, G20, SCO and BRICS. Our meeting helped prepare the outcomes and decisions for the Annual Summit later this year.”

According to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, both sides underlined the importance of intensifying efforts to strengthen a multipolar global order and to support the Global South in defending political sovereignty.

Economic, Energy and Connectivity Cooperation

The Russian statement noted that discussions focused on enhancing political contacts at multiple levels and deepening economic engagement. Special emphasis was placed on building sustainable transport and logistics chains, creating resilient financial and currency mechanisms, and expanding cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy and hydrocarbon production.

Lavrov, welcoming Jaishankar for what he called the “next round of negotiations,” stressed that India and Russia see each other as “especially privileged strategic partners.”

“Today we will focus on political and international issues,” Lavrov said. “As our leaders agreed, we regard each other as privileged strategic partners. In modern conditions, interaction in the international arena is acquiring special significance when a new architecture of international relations is emerging, objectively becoming multipolar. Associations such as the SCO, BRICS, and the G20 are playing an increasingly important role. Within the UN, there remains the opportunity for all current and future centres of power within the multipolar world order to interact and develop compromises that are sustainable and based on a balance of interests. Russia is always ready for this.”

Preparing for Modi-Putin Annual Summit

For his part, Jaishankar expressed confidence that the talks in Moscow would help ensure that the forthcoming summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin later this year would be “outcome-oriented.”

“Today’s meeting gives us an occasion to discuss our political relationship, but also to review our bilateral ties. I look forward to an exchange of views on politics, trade, investment, defence, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges,” Jaishankar said.

He recalled that the last Modi-Putin summit was held in July last year during the 22nd Annual Summit, followed by interactions in Kazan. “We now prepare for the annual summit at the end of the year, and our leaders have always given us guidance to take forward our Special and Privileged Strategic relationship,” he added.

Intergovernmental Commission Discussions

Jaishankar also referred to his meeting a day earlier with First Deputy Prime Minister Manturov, where the two co-chaired the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.

“We had a very productive meeting with Denis Manturov. We discussed many issues in our bilateral cooperation and found several solutions as well. Today, I want to build on those discussions so that we can maximize outcomes for the annual summit,” the EAM said.

A Strategic Partnership in Transition

The visit comes at a time when India and Russia are seeking to adapt their decades-old strategic partnership to shifting global dynamics. While energy, defence, and space remain traditional pillars of cooperation, both sides are increasingly exploring new areas such as fertilizers, health, skills and mobility, and digital technologies.

India continues to balance its relationship with Russia amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, even as it expands ties with the United States, Europe, and other major powers. Moscow, for its part, has emphasized the importance of building strong ties with New Delhi, both to diversify its partnerships and to strengthen the multipolar world order it advocates.

By holding back-to-back meetings with Lavrov, Manturov, and President Putin, Jaishankar’s Moscow visit has laid the groundwork for substantive outcomes at the Modi-Putin summit later this year.