On Thursday, Dr. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and discussed issues of bilateral and global interests.

Dr. S Jaishankar tweeted, “Good to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Cape Town this morning on BRICS FMM sidelines. Our discussions covered bilateral matters, BRICS, G20 and SCO”, through his official Twitter handle.

Dr. Jaishankar will attend the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit, held talks with Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

In July and September, India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and G-20 meetings.

Despite growing Western concern over the procurement in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, India has emerged as a key importer of discounted crude oil from Russia in recent months.

India’s economic relationship with Russia has increased significantly in the last year, owing largely to its purchase of inexpensive Russian oil.

India has not officially criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it has pushed for a peaceful resolution through communication and diplomacy.

On Wednesday, Jaishankar stated that it is still early days for conflict resolution between Ukraine and Russia, as the focus is currently on problems such as a grain corridor, nuclear issues, and matters related to the exchange of prisoners of war.

In an interview, Jaishankar told the media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) group brings together five of the world’s largest emerging countries, accounting for 41 percent of the global population, 24 percent of the global GDP, and 16 percent of worldwide commerce. Jaishankar is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with his other BRICS counterparts.

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