S Jaishankar Will Meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, PM Modi Spoke With Putin About Ukraine Situation
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Moscow on August 20-21, where he will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a detailed conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the trade uncertainty and tariff announcements.
The US has imposed a tariff of 25 percent on India for importing goods from Russia. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval also met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, a day after US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on Indian imports in response to India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. President Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional penalty of 25 percent for buying Russian oil, taking the total import duty to 50 per cent.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, condemned the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable” and warned that New Delhi would take “all actions necessary” to defend its economic sovereignty. The leaders discussed the supply of S-400 systems, Su-30 MKI upgrades, and procurement of critical military hardware in expeditious timeframes, as noted by an official statement from the Ministry of Defence.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov had also held a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6. In a statement shared on X, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India @DrSJaishankar hold a meeting on the sidelines of the XVII #BRICS Summit. Rio de Janeiro, July 6.”
The two leaders had previously met in Johannesburg in February this year, where they discussed the ongoing progress of bilateral cooperation between India and Russia. The BRICS Summit, hosted by Brazil, brought together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, as well as new members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia.