On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met at the Kremlin and discussed a number of topics, including the conflict in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited by Mr. Putin to come to Russia in 2019.
“We are excited to have our friend, Mr. Prime Minister Modi, visit Russia,” Mr. Putin said to Mr. Jaishankar, who was there for a formal five-day visit.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Jaishankar met with Sergey Lavrov, his counterpart from Russia.
The president of Russia stated that he is confident PM Modi will use every effort to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict. According to Mr. Putin, Russia is eager to provide India with knowledge about peaceful solutions to the Ukraine conflict.
“Many times I advised him (PM Modi) on how things are going there (Ukraine) and I know he is willing to do his utmost so that the issue is resolved by peaceful means. So we will delve into that deeper now and we will give additional information to you,” Mr Putin said during the meeting with Mr Jaishankar.
Following their discussions, Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Lavrov made a joint media appearance where Mr. Jaishankar expressed his confidence that PM Modi and Mr. Putin would hold an annual summit the following year. Mr. Jaishankar stated that the two leaders have been in regular communication during his introductory remarks earlier.
The highest institutional discussion mechanism in the strategic relationship between the two sides is the summit between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin. 21 yearly conferences have so far been held alternately in Russia and India. Delhi hosted the most recent meeting in December 2021.
According to Mr. Putin, increased commerce, especially in high-tech and crude oil sectors, is the reason for the growth in trade between Russia and India.
“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,” the Russian President said.
Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov of Russia and Mr. Jaishankar met on Tuesday for a “comprehensive and productive” discussion on bilateral economic cooperation. During the meeting, several “very important” agreements regarding the construction of future power-generating units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu were signed.
Despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, India and Russia maintained a close relationship. India has insisted that diplomacy and communication are the only ways to address the situation and has not yet denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Even while there is growing unease about Russian crude oil in many Western nations, India’s imports of it have increased dramatically.
