EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, with the two leaders discussing bilateral cooperation, global challenges and multilateral issues. The current situation surrounding Ukraine, Iran, and Afghanistan was also discussed by the two foreign ministers, the state-run TASS news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying. “A wide-ranging conversation this evening with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Discussed our bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues,” Jaishankar posted on X on Tuesday. Jaishankar, who arrived in Moscow on Sunday, is on a twoday visit to Russia. The visit comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected visit to NewDelhi for the BRICS leaders’ summit on September 12-13. “Talks between the two top diplomats focused on the current issues on the international agenda. In particular, they coordinated approaches to the situation in Afghanistan, around Iran, and Ukraine.

 

The sides reiterated mutual commitment to continuing close coordination within United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS, and the Group of Twenty,” the TASS report said. “The ministers agreed to strengthen trust-based dialogue at all levels.” The meeting assumes significance as India and Russia seek to deepen their economic engagement and expand cooperation in a range of areas. On Monday, Jaishankar called on Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the two sides discussed economic ties, focussing on key areas such as trade, energy, fertilisers and nuclear cooperation. Jaishankar also co-chaired a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov of the India-Russia I n t e r - G o v e r n m e n t a l Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).