External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on August 21, 2025, during a three-day visit aimed at strengthening the longstanding India-Russia relationship.

This meeting followed his extensive talks earlier that day with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in which they covered a broad spectrum of bilateral issues, primarily focusing on expanding trade ties between the two nations.

Jaishankar emphasized that India-Russia relations remain among the steadiest and most consistent major-country partnerships globally since World War-II. He highlighted that geopolitical convergence, sustained leadership contact, and popular sentiment are core drivers of this durable alliance.

The minister expressed the desire for their economic cooperation to grow in a balanced and sustainable way, noting the urgent need to address trade imbalances and non-tariff barriers that hinder Indian exports to Russia.

He called for swift action to remove these regulatory impediments and bolster Indian exports in sectors like agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and textiles, which would help correct the current trade imbalance.

Bilaterally, the trade in goods between India and Russia has expanded dramatically over recent years, increasing more than fivefold from around $13 billion in 2021 to approximately $68 billion in the fiscal year 2024-25.

Despite this growth, India faces a significant trade imbalance with Russia, largely due to high oil imports from Russia. Jaishankar noted this imbalance, which has grown from about $6.6 billion to nearly $59 billion, as an area requiring urgent attention and resolution.

During the visit, Jaishankar co-chaired the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).

Key agenda points discussed included removing trade barriers, resolving logistics challenges, enhancing connectivity through routes like the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Northern Sea Route, and the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor, and improving payment mechanisms to ensure smooth bilateral transactions.

They also signed the minutes of the 26th IRIGC meeting, reiterating efforts toward preparing a Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and India. Cooperation was discussed in sectors such as chemicals, metallurgy, transport engineering, digital technologies, and energy, with particular focus on expanding Russian LNG supplies to India.

The talks occurred amid U.S. tariffs imposed on Indian goods and oil imports from Russia, with Washington pressuring India to curtail its purchase of Russian oil, which Washington claims indirectly supports Russia's actions in Ukraine. Jaishankar dismissed this pressure, describing the India-Russia trade relationship as pragmatic and anchored in historical ties.

He reaffirmed India's sovereign right to chart its own energy policy while pointing to the need for mutual cooperation and growth in trade and strategic partnership. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed initiatives like the INSTC as vital for boosting connectivity and facilitating increased trade.

Plans were also discussed for Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to India later in the year, expected around November or December, with preparations ongoing. Both sides reiterated commitment to enhance people-to-people contacts, political dialogue, defence cooperation, science, and technology partnerships.

The meetings between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Russian leadership underscored a mutual ambition to deepen and diversify the India-Russia strategic and economic partnership, focusing heavily on trade expansion, addressing existing imbalances, and enhancing connectivity, while navigating global geopolitical pressures and the challenges posed by external tariff impositions.

Agencies