Jaishankar embarks on 3-day visit to Russia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday embarked on a threeday visit to Moscow to further strengthen the timetested IndiaRussia partnershipThe visit comes against the backdrop of strains in Indias ties with the US following President Donald Trump doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent that included an additional penalty of 25 per cent for purchasing Russian crude oilThe Ministry of External Affairs MEA announcing Jaishankars trip said he will cochair the 26th Session of the IndiaRussia InterGovernmental Commission on Trade Economic Scientific Technological and Cultural Cooperation IRIGCTEC to be held on WednesdayThe external affairs minister and Russias First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov are set to cochair the IRIGCTEC that is expected to lay the ground for President Vladimir Putins visit to India later this yearJaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov are also expected to discuss the latest initiatives by the Trump administration to bring peace to UkraineDuring the visit the external affairs minister will review the bilateral agenda and share perspective on regional and global issues with the Russian foreign minister the MEA said in a brief statementThe visit aims to further strengthen the longstanding and timetested IndiaRussia Special and Privileged Strategic partnership it addedIt is expected that the two sides will also deliberate on IndiaRussia energy ties during Jaishankars trip to MoscowUS President Trump this month issued an executive order slapping an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods as a penalty for New Delhis continued purchase of Russian oilDefending its purchase of Russian crude oil India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamicsIndia turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022Consequently from a mere 17 per cent share in total oil imports in 201920 Russias share increased to 351 per cent in 202425 and it is now the biggest oil supplier to IndiaDuring Jaishankars visit to Moscow the two sides are also likely to deliberate on the Ukraine conflictIndia has been consistently calling for ending the RussiaUkraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacyIn July last year PM Modi travelled to Moscow and told Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bulletsThe next month Modi visited the Ukranian capital city of Kyiv and conveyed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the warThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever