India and Russia pledged on Thursday (21 August 2025) to increase their bilateral trade and maintain energy cooperation and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar underlined the need to rapidly remove non-tariffs (tariffs) obstacles and regulatory hurdles. This resolve to increase bilateral trade, including increasing Indian exports to Russia from the two countries, has been taken amidst increasing distance in Indo-US relations regarding the policies of US President Donald Trump on trade and tariffs.

Jaishankar said in a joint press conference after a comprehensive talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavarov, “We believe that relations between India and Russia have been one of the most prominent relations in the world after World War II.” He said, “Geophysical status, public sentiments and leadership will remain its main motivators. Arrived on Tuesday (August 19) to finalize aspects.

Target to promote bilateral trade
In a conversation with Lavarov, Jaishankar said, “Today, the global references for our meeting are emerging geopolitical status, changing economic and business scenario and our shared goal is to maximize our fulfillment.” Jaishankar and Lavarov also discussed ways to deal with terrorism. Jaishankar said, “On the issue of terror, we pledged to fight jointly against all forms and expressions of terrorism.” He said, “I informed about our sovereignty rights to protect our citizens from India’s determination to adopt terrorism and to protect our citizens from terrorism.

Trying to expand bilateral trade
The Foreign Minister said, “We confirmed our shared ambition to expand bilateral trade in a balanced and durable manner, including increasing India’s exports to Russia.” He said, “This requires immediate removing non-fee obstacles and regulatory obstacles.” Increasing Indian exports to Russia in areas such as pharmaceutical, agriculture and textiles will definitely help in removing the current imbalance. “Jaishankar said,” Steps were also taken to ensure the long -term supply of fertilizers. Indian skilled workers, especially IT, can meet Russia’s labor needs in the construction and engineering sector and can deepen cooperation. ”He said that it is also important to maintain energy cooperation through trade and investment.

The issue of Indians serving in the Russian army
The Foreign Minister also raised the issue of some Indians serving in the Russian army. “Although many people have been released, some cases are pending and some are missing. We hope that the Russian side will quickly resolve these matters. ”In the meeting, Jaishankar and Lavarov confirmed the shared commitment of India and Russia to improve global rule. Both sides also discussed the situation in Ukraine, West Asia and Afghanistan. Jaishankar said, “I want to say that India’s attitude considers dialogue and diplomacy necessary to resolve differences.”

Mention of preparations for India-Russia Summit
In the meeting with Lavrov, the Foreign Minister mentioned the preparations for the annual India-Russia summit to be held at the end of the year. He said, “Today I want these bilateral discussions to be carried forward so that we can get maximum results during the annual summit.” It is believed that Jaishankar’s conversation with Lavrov was discussed prominently on India-Russia energy relations.

Tension arose in Indo-US relations
This visit of Jaishankar is taking place at a time when Tension has arisen in Indo-US relations after US President Donald Trump doubled the tariff (fee) on Indian goods to 50 percent. This tariff also includes an additional fee of 25 percent on purchasing Russian crude oil. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said on Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow, “The purpose of this journey is to further strengthen the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership on the test of long-term and time.” Jaishankar on Wednesday held extensive talks with the first Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dennis Manturov. India has been constantly calling for the end of Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

S Jaishankar meets Putin
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (21 August 2025). He discussed ways to further extend India-Russia relations. The meeting was held on behalf of Jaishankar a few hours after a comprehensive talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which focused on increasing trade relations between the two countries. Jaishankar held extensive talks with the first Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Denis Manturov on Wednesday, which paid attention to the preparations for Putin’s visit to India for the summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year.

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