External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin and is understood to have discussed ways to further expand India-Russia ties.
"Honored to call on President Putin at the Kremlin today. Apprised him of my discussions with First DPM Denis Manturov & FM Sergey Lavrov. The preparations for the Annual Leaders Summit are well underway. Appreciate his sharing perspectives on the global situation and recent developments on Ukraine," Jaishankar posted on X.
The meeting came hours after Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that largely focused on expanding the trade ties between the two countries.
"We believe that relations between India and Russia have been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War," Jaishankar said at a joint media briefing with Lavrov.
"Geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers," he said.
The external affairs minister landed in Moscow on Tuesday to fine tune various elements of President Putin's visit to India either in November or December.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar said India is neither the biggest purchaser of Russian oil nor it has the biggest trade surge with Moscow after 2022.
Jaishankar made the remarks in response to a question at a joint media briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"We are not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil. That is China. We are not the biggest purchaser of Russian LNG. I'm not sure, but I think that is the European Union," he said.
"We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022. I think there are some countries to the south," he added.
"We are a country where actually the Americans said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilise the world energy markets, including buying oil from Russia," Jaishankar said.
In the meeting, Jaishankar and Lavrov reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and Russia to the reform of global governance.
"We underlined the imperative to expand and energise the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary realities. Our collaboration in G20, BRICS and the SCO remains deep-rooted and forward looking," he said.
The two sides also deliberated on the situation in Ukraine, West Asia and Afghanistan.
"I want to say that India’s approach continues to emphasise dialogue and diplomacy as essential to resolving differences," Jaishankar said.
In his opening remarks at the meeting with Lavrov, the external affairs minister made a mention of ongoing preparation for the annual India-Russia summit at the end of the year.
"What I want today is to take those bilateral discussions forward so that we have the maximum outcomes for the Annual Summit when that happens," he said.
It is learnt that India-Russia energy ties figured prominently in Jaishankar's talks with Lavrov. US President Trump this month issued an executive order slapping an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods as a penalty for New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on Wednesday.
The two sides are also understood to have deliberated on the Ukraine conflict.
India has been consistently calling for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
In July last year, PM Modi travelled to Moscow and told Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets.
The next month, Modi visited the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv and conveyed to President Volodymyr Zelensky that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the war.