External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Monday as part of his two-day official visit to Russia.

The meeting took place during his visit from 23 to 24 August 2026, which was undertaken at the invitation of First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov.

Jaishankar’s official program included co-chairing the 27th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). This commission serves as a key institutional mechanism to review and expand bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier confirmed that Jaishankar would also meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the visit. Their discussions were expected to cover regional and global issues, reflecting the shared commitment of both nations to a multipolar world order.

India and Russia enjoy a longstanding and time-tested partnership. Since the signing of the “Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership” in October 2000, bilateral ties have acquired a qualitatively new character. Cooperation has expanded across political, security, defence, trade and economy, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Under the Strategic Partnership framework, several institutionalised dialogue mechanisms operate at both political and official levels. These mechanisms ensure regular interaction and follow-up on cooperation activities, thereby maintaining continuity and progress in bilateral relations.

The India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission (IRIGC) has two divisions. The IRIGC-TEC is co-chaired by Jaishankar and Manturov, focusing on trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation. The IRIGC-M&MTC is headed by the Defence Ministers of both countries and deals with military and military-technical cooperation.

The bilateral relationship has remained strong and stable over the years. The Ministry of External Affairs underlined that the India-Russia partnership has been among the steadiest in the contemporary era. Both nations share a commitment to a multipolar world and continue to expand engagement beyond traditional military, nuclear and space cooperation into new domains.

Jaishankar’s meeting with President Putin further reinforced the depth of the strategic partnership. It highlighted the importance of high-level political dialogue in sustaining the momentum of cooperation and ensuring that the relationship remains resilient amidst global geopolitical shifts.

ANI