S Jaishankar Meets Putin in Moscow: Preparing for the 23rd Annual India-Russia Summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday, discussing preparations for the upcoming annual India-Russia summit.

Putin welcomed Jaishankar at the Representative Office of the Senate Palace in the Kremlin, where they exchanged a handshake before their discussions, according to state-run TASS news agency.

Taking to social media after the meeting, Jaishankar stated, "Honoured to call on President Putin of Russia in Moscow today. Conveyed greetings of Prime Minister @narendramodi. Apprised him of preparations underway for the upcoming Annual India Russia Summit. Also discussed regional and global developments. Deeply value his perspectives and guidance on further advancement of our ties."

Kremlin-released visuals showed Putin greeting Jaishankar, who was accompanied by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar and Joint Secretary Mayank Singh during the meeting.

From the Russian side, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko attended the discussions.

This significant diplomatic engagement precedes Putin's anticipated visit to India around December 5, where he will hold the 23rd annual summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A day earlier, Jaishankar held comprehensive discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as part of the preparations for President Putin's upcoming visit to India.

Earlier, Jaishankar had also participated in a meeting with President Putin alongside other heads of delegation from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states.

The SCO meeting was attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and the Prime Ministers of Belarus (Alexander Turchin), Kazakhstan (Oljas Bektenov), Kyrgyzstan (Adylbek Kasymaliyev), Tajikistan (Kokhir Rasulzoda), and Uzbekistan (Abdulla Aripov). Pakistan's Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev were also present.

On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Jaishankar met with Mongolia's Prime Minister Gombojavyn Zandanshatar and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The External Affairs Minister also expressed his gratitude to Russian PM Mishustin for hosting the SCO Heads of Government meeting and for the hospitality extended during his visit.