Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has embarked on a three-day visit to Moscow aimed at further solidifying the strategic partnership between India and Russia. The trip comes at a time when the U.S. has imposed tariffs on Indian exports, including a 25% penalty tied to the purchase of crude oil from Russia. The Ministry of External Affairs announced that Jaishankar will co-chair the 26th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) on Wednesday. This session, co-chaired with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, is expected to contribute to the planning for President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India later this year.
Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, are likely to discuss the latest initiatives of the Trump administration regarding peace in Ukraine. The Ministry of External Affairs indicated that the visit includes a review of the bilateral agenda and discussions on regional and global issues. The primary objective of the trip is to strengthen the enduring and special strategic partnership between India and Russia.
It’s expected that Jaishankar’s discussions in Moscow will encompass India-Russia energy ties. The U.S. has levied an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods due to India’s ongoing purchases of Russian oil. India has defended its crude oil imports, citing its national interests and market considerations.
Following Western sanctions and supply disruptions after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, India began buying discounted Russian oil. This led to a significant rise in Russia’s share of India’s total oil imports, from 1.7% in 2019-20 to 35.1% in 2024-25, making Russia India’s top oil supplier.
Last July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Moscow and told Putin that a resolution to the Ukraine conflict was not possible on the battlefield and that peace efforts would not succeed amid conflict. In the following month, Modi visited Kyiv and urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in direct talks with Russia to end the war.
