External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 15, 2025, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Tianjin, China.

The meeting took place in the context of both countries intensifying diplomatic engagements and comes soon after recent high-level India-Russia interactions, including the late-June meeting between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov in Qingdao, China.

That discussion had focused on issues such as the supply of S-400 air defence systems, upgrades for the Su-30MKI fighter jets, and the expedited procurement of critical military hardware.

During this bilateral meeting at the SCO, Jaishankar and Lavrov reviewed the status of India-Russia bilateral cooperation across various sectors and shared perspectives on major global developments, notably the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East. Both sides agreed to further coordinate their approaches in important multilateral forums and reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining strategic ties.

Jaishankar's visit is significant as it marks his first trip to China since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, which had severely strained India-China relations. Besides his interaction with Lavrov, Jaishankar also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the same SCO meeting, underlining India's broader engagement with key regional powers.

In addition, Jaishankar and other SCO foreign ministers had a collective meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Jaishankar conveyed felicitations from Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the latest developments in bilateral ties.

The series of recent visits, including those by Defence Minister Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to China for SCO-related engagements in June, reflect a deliberate effort to stabilize India's relations in the region through active multilateral and bilateral diplomacy.

Looking ahead, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit India next month for further discussions under the Special Representatives dialogue mechanism, which aims to address the longstanding boundary dispute between the two countries.

The Jaishankar-Lavrov meeting at the Tianjin SCO summit underscores the continued strategic and diplomatic collaboration between India and Russia amidst shifting global dynamics, while also highlighting India's commitment to engaging with key regional actors and participating actively in multilateral platforms.

Based On ANI Report