Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after landing in New Delhi
New Delhi: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Thursday (March 31) evening on a two-day visit to discuss various pros and cons related to the month-old Ukraine conflict.
Lavrov, who has been to China, will hold a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday. This is the highest-level visit from Russia to India after Moscow launched its military operations in Ukraine on February 24.
Of course, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held tele conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin more than once, and India has made it clear that there is no alternative to dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
Meanwhile, reports suggested the controversial rupee-ruble-denominated payments could also figure in the talks. The new mechanism could be used as an alternative to SWIFT after the US, and European Union cut off seven Russian banks from using the Belgium-based cross-border payment system operator.
India has insisted that it has had very robust ties with Russia for decades. Modi-Putin Summit in Delhi was also categorical about it. India is the only Quad member which has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar had told Rajya Sabha that New Delhi’s stance is purely guided by its own national interest.
Coinciding with the Russian Foreign Minister’s visit, US Deputy NSA Daleep Singh also landed in Delhi on March 30 and held talks with Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla on Thursday, March 31.
External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar held delegation-level talks with UK Secretary of State for Foreign Elizabeth alias Liz Truss on Thursday evening. During the talks, Dr Jaishankar said the Roadmap 2030 for the India-UK relationship has made substantial progress.
The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK Virtual Summit held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson on May 4, 2021.
Separately, NSA Ajit Doval has held meetings with German counterpart Jens Plötner and Netherlands counterpart Geoffrey Van Leeuwen and discussed the geopolitical situation.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday held tele talks with External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar and discussed, among other issues, “the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine”.
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