During Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Russian President invited Indian PM Narendra Modi to Russia. “We would be glad to see our friend, PM Modi, in Russia,” Putin said.
Before his meeting with Putin at the Kremlin, Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his five-day visit.
Putin said that the two leaders would have “an opportunity to discuss the current issues and talk about the prospects for developing Russian-Indian relations. We have to cover a lot of ground.” Putin urged Jaishankar to convey his best wishes to the Indian PM and extend an invitation.
“We are looking forward to seeing him in Russia,” he remarked.
Honoured to call on President Vladimir Putin this evening. Conveyed the warm greetings of PM @narendramodi and handed over a personal message.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 27, 2023
Apprised President Putin of my discussions with Ministers Manturov and Lavrov. Appreciated his guidance on the further developments of… pic.twitter.com/iuC944fYHq
Jaishankar conveyed the greetings of the Indian PM to Putin and said that Modi looks forward to visiting Russia next year. Additionally, during his joint conference with Lavrov, Jaishankar reaffirmed that he was confident that PM Modi and Putin would meet for an annual summit next year.
The two leaders have not met for the annual summit for two years in a row, with the last one being held in December 2021 in New Delhi.
The summit is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between India and Russia.
India-Russia Trade at an All-Time High
“Our trade is growing for the second year running and at a confident pace. This year, the growth rates were even higher than last year,” Putin said. Moreover, during the Press Conference with Lavrov, Jaishankar highlighted that India-Russia trade had crossed $50 billion turnover last year. “India-Russia relations remain very steady, remain very strong, they are based on our strategic convergence, on our geopolitical interests, and because they are mutually beneficial,” Jaishankar said.
“We are working together in high-tech areas, and we are very pleased to note that despite the current turbulences in the world, relations with our traditional friends in Asia, with India and the Indian people are making steady headway,” the Russian President asserted.
Discussions on Ukraine, Gaza
Putin said that Moscow knows PM Modi’s position on global issues, including the war in Ukraine, and has discussed the same with him several times. “I know about his striving to resolve this problem [Ukraine war] through peaceful means,” Putin said.
In his meeting with Lavrov, Jaishankar discussed political cooperation on numerous international issues like the Ukraine conflict, Gaza, Indo-Pacific, Afghanistan and organisations like BRICS, SCO, ASEAN, etc.
A wide ranging and useful meeting with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 27, 2023
As strategic partners, discussed the international situation and contemporary issues. Exchanged views on Indo-Pacific, the Ukraine conflict, the Gaza situation , Afghanistan and Central Asia, BRICS, SCO, G20 and… pic.twitter.com/Uk9VTbZm5y
He also stated that India is eagerly anticipating both a free trade agreement with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union and a bilateral investment treaty with Moscow.
Joint Production of Military Equipment
Following his meeting with Jaishankar, Lavrov told reporters that the two nations had made real progress in their discussions about how to work together to build military hardware.
The two leaders discussed the “prospects for military-technical cooperation, including joint production of modern types of weapons.” Lavrov said that strategic cooperation in this manner would help ensure security on the Eurasian continent.
Additionally, he stated that Moscow was prepared to assist New Delhi in its efforts to manufacture items required by India domestically and that it appreciated India’s wish to diversify its military gear suppliers.