RUSSIA on Monday assured India of uninterrupted supply of energy and fertilisers amid disruption caused by the West Asia crisis, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met President Vladimir Putin here and held talks with his key interlocutors. Jaishankar, here on a two-day visit, also co-chaired with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov a meeting of the IndiaRussia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). These meetings - which come ahead of Putin’s expected visit to New Delhi for the BRICS leaders’ summit on September 12-13 -assume significance as India and Russia seek to deepen their economic engagement and expand cooperation in a range of areas. In his opening remarks, Jaishankar flagged the widening trade imbalance, which had increased from USD 6.6 billion to over USD 50 billion.

 

In his meeting with Jaishankar, Putin assured India of uninterrupted supply of energy and fertilisers amid disruption caused by the West Asia crisis.“We are doing everything we can to fully meet the needs of Indian farmers and the agricultural sector, increasing these supplies and standing ready to continue doing so,” Putin was quoted as saying by the staterun TASS news agency. Jaishankar conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings and a personal communication to the Russian President. “Prime Minister Modi looks forward to meeting you at the SCO summit, then welcoming you in India for the BRICS Summit, and in due course, as per your mutual convenience, having the annual summit,” he said. “So, we have, excellency, I think a very strong picture of cooperation.”