Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India in December. This visit, planned for New Delhi, underscores a significant bilateral agenda. The key areas of focus include trade, military cooperation, technological exchange, finance, humanitarian efforts, healthcare, and advancements in high-tech sectors such as artificial intelligence.
When questioned about the US potentially imposing secondary sanctions on India for its purchase of Russian oil, Lavrov emphasized that the economic partnership between India and Russia is not under threat. He highlighted that India is capable of independently making decisions regarding its partnerships. He added that India is open to discussions with the US about enriching bilateral trade, but decisions regarding economic, military, technological, and other relations with third states will be made solely with those states. Lavrov also expressed confidence in India’s ability to make its own decisions on trade matters. He mentioned his recent discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and noted the regular exchanges between the two countries. Lavrov reiterated that the strategic relationship between India and Russia remains strong. He emphasized the respect for India’s national interests and the foreign policy led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He recalled the recent meeting of PM Modi and President Putin at the SCO summit in China and highlighted the close coordination between the two nations at the international level.