Union Minister Jaishankar To Visit Moscow Amid Ukraine-Russia War

New Delhi: Indian External Affairs minister S Jaishankar is likely to visit Russia on November 8 for a meeting with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov amid growing concerns about a further escalation in the conflict in Ukraine.

The revelation came from Moscow with Russia’s Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying at a news briefing on Thursday that Lavrov will hold talks with Jaishankar next month and discuss the “current state of bilateral relations and the international agenda.”

Though there was no official statement from New Delhi on Jaishankar’s possible visit, people familiar with the matter said the Union minister’s trip is expected to be brief and include meetings with Lavrov and other key Russian officials, Hindustan Times reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan last month, and are expected to meet again at the G20 Summit in Bali (Indonesia) next month.

India has urged Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, but refrained from directly criticising Moscow’s decision to invade its neighbour and abstained most United Nations votes and resolutions related to Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russia’s Defence minister Sergei Shoigu called his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh recently to apprise New Delhi about Moscow’s concerns about Kyiv using a “dirty bomb”. Rajnath stressed that neither side should think of exercising the nuclear option, and must find a solution through dialogue and diplomacy.