In a bid to reaffirm India’s relationship with Russia, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on August 21, as tweeted by MFA Russia. Delhi and Moscow have been working to strengthen their strategic partnership ever since U.S. President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on Indian imports earlier this month over India’s continued purchases of Russian crude. America had claimed that these purchases were fueling Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
FM Sergey #Lavrov's schedule:
🗓 On August 21, FM Sergey #Lavrov will hold talks with FM of India @DrSJaishankar in Moscow.
The Ministers will discuss key issues on our bilateral agenda, as well as key aspects of cooperation within international frameworks.#RussiaIndia pic.twitter.com/ck4qG1Z14P---Advertisement---— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) August 13, 2025
Last week, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Russian President Vladimir Putin, just a day after President Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports as a punitive response to India’s ongoing crude oil trade with Moscow. The total tariff was later raised to 50%.
The official page of the Kremlin also posted footage of Putin shaking hands with Ajit Doval, though the specifics of their meeting were not disclosed. Doval mentioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit India soon, with the visit expected to take place by the end of 2025.
To further demonstrate that India has no intention of funneling finances into Russia’s war arsenal and supporting Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently held a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Glad to speak with President Zelenskyy and hear his perspectives on recent developments. I conveyed India’s consistent position on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict. India remains committed to making every possible contribution in this regard, as well…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 11, 2025
During the conversation, Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed his stance on the necessity of a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict with Russia. He also stated that India is committed to making every possible contribution in this regard and, beyond that, seeks to strengthen bilateral ties with Ukraine.
