Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday met with his Russian counterpart, Andrey Rudenko, in Moscow to discuss bilateral cooperation.
“Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri held Foreign Office Consultations with his Russian counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Andrey Rudenko in Moscow,” Randhir Jaiswal wrote in a post on X.
Quite expectantly, the Ukraine war also featured in the discussion, media reports said.
Misri is also scheduled to meet several Russian leaders during his visit to Moscow.
Crucial Time
The foreign secretary’s visit to Moscow comes at a time when the US is pushing Russia and Ukraine towards peace talks that may help in ending the conflict.
It also comes days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy got involved in a fiery verbal spat with US President Donald Trump during their meeting in the White House.
Europe has lent support to Zelenskyy following the unprecedented scenes that unfolded in the Oval Office.
Release Of Indian Nationals
Meanwhile, during Friday’s meeting, Misri might have also raised the issue of the discharge of the remaining Indian nationals who are still serving in the Russian military in its war against Ukraine, media reports said.
In January, India said 12 Indian nationals have been killed in the Ukraine war while serving in the Russian military.
Russia has listed another 16 Indian nationals as missing, according to reports.
Visit Amid Trump Threat
Misri’s visit to Moscow also coincides with Donald Trump saying that he’s considering “large-scale” sanctions and tariffs against Russia until it reaches a ceasefire and peace agreement with Ukraine.
The foreign secretary’s trip to Russia comes nearly three months after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the country.
IRIGC-M&MTC Meeting
During Rajnath Singh’s visit to Russia in December, he co-chaired the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) in Moscow.
The leaders had exchanged views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest.
As part of the visit, Singh also commissioned the Indian Navy’s latest multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate ‘INS Tushil’ at Yantra Shipyard, Kaliningrad on December 9, 2024.
(With inputs from IBNS)
