Jaishankar meets Putin in Moscow; trade, energy, fertilisers on agenda
EAM Jaishankar met Russian President Putin in Moscow, discussing trade, energy, fertilisers, and high-tech cooperation ahead of upcoming summits.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, in a visit that sets the stage for two high-level meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin over the next three weeks.
Putin told Jaishankar that Russia is prioritising cooperation with India in energy, fertilisers, nuclear energy, and high-technology sectors. He credited Prime Minister Modi for giving "personal attention" to the bilateral relationship, noting that trade turnover has grown this year after a slight decline last year.
Modi and Putin are scheduled to meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan on August 31-September 1, and again at the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. India is hosting the BRICS leaders' summit, with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping among those expected to attend.
Jaishankar conveyed Modi's wishes to Putin and mentioned a "personal communication" from the Prime Minister. He said the economic cooperation between the two countries has "grown very significantly," covering trade, energy, fertilisers, nuclear energy, and other dimensions.
The two leaders had earlier set a bilateral trade target of US$ 100 billion by 2030. Bilateral trade touched a record high of US$ 68.7 billion in FY 2024-25, and stood at US$ 59.863 billion in FY 2025-26.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar co-chaired the 27th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. Putin noted that discussions under the commission covered energy, fertiliser supplies, nuclear energy, and high-technology cooperation.
Putin also expressed hope to see Modi soon at the SCO summit, saying their schedule would likely allow another meeting later this year. Modi is expected to travel to Uzbekistan for a bilateral visit on August 29-30 before heading to Kyrgyzstan for the SCO summit.
The India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission has two divisions: the IRIGC-TEC, co-chaired by Jaishankar and Manturov, and the Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC), headed by the defence ministers of the two countries.