External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. This meeting comes after US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods over the purchase of Russian oil, saying India was indirectly funding Moscow's war in Ukraine. 

The EAM landed in Moscow on Tuesday ahead of Putin’s visit to India. Earlier today, he met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov and held detailed discussions on bilateral ties between India and Russia. He vowed to expand their bilateral ties in a ‘balanced and sustainable manner’.

“We believe that relations between India and Russia have been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War," Jaishankar said.

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Geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers, he added.

Jaishankar landed in Moscow after a round of trade and economic talks with the Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

Jaishankar landed in Moscow after a round of trade and economic talks with the Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. He is currently on a three-day visit to Russia, in which he co-chaired the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) and addressed the India-Russia Business Forum meeting in Moscow.

Backdrop of US Tariffs On India-Russia Talks

The high-stakes meeting comes after US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, including an additional 25 per cent levy as a penalty for New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian crude oil. The move aims to pressure Moscow by constraining its trade partners.

Without mentioning the exact reason, Jaishankar said that the talks were taking place in the backdrop of a complex geopolitical situation.

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