India and Russia are getting ready to sign several new agreements and start joint projects before Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to New Delhi next month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Monday. Jaishankar spoke about this while meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow during a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) event. Putin is expected to visit India in the first week of December for his yearly summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jaishankar said the talk with Lavrov was especially important because both countries are preparing for Putin’s trip. He said many agreements and new ideas are being discussed in different areas, and both sides hope to finish them soon. According to him, these steps will further strengthen and deepen the special strategic partnership between India and Russia.
Jaishankar is taking part in a meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government at a time when the United States is again urging India to cut back on buying Russian oil and military equipment. This pressure is part of President Donald Trump’s push to stop the war in Ukraine.
In recent weeks, India’s imports of Russian crude oil have reportedly gone down. On Monday, India also said that its state-owned companies have signed a one-year contract to buy 2.2 million tonnes of LPG from the US.
Despite this, Jaishankar said that India’s relationship with Russia has always helped maintain stability in global affairs. He added that the partnership between the two countries is not only beneficial for India and Russia, but also good for the rest of the world.
Lavrov called India one of Russia’s most important partners and said that Moscow is working on new steps to boost economic cooperation with New Delhi. He added that both countries are creating systems to keep trade running smoothly, even in the face of what he called “unfair” restrictions — a clear reference to Western sanctions on Russia.
