Amid Trump tariffs, Russia woos India; Jaishankar hails 'steadiest' ties since World War II

As part of his three-day visit to Russia, External Affairs Minister met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday with the two sides discussing transport, logistics, banking and financial partnership that would be immune to external pressures. This comes as the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi's purchase of Moscow's crude oil, thereby funding the Ukraine war.

Taking to X, Jaishankar said he conveyed the warm greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Putin.

"Apprised him of my discussions with First DPM Denis Manturov & FM Sergey Lavrov. The preparations for the Annual Leaders Summit are well underway," he said. "Appreciate his sharing perspectives on the global situation and recent developments on Ukraine".

This comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to China where he is expected to meet Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin later this month. The Russian President is also scheduled to visit New Delhi later this year.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov and said that the relations between the two countries is among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world since the Second World War. "Geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers," he said.

Jaishankar said the meeting comes amid evolving geopolitical situation as the economic and trade landscape shifts. "Our shared goal is to maximise our complementarity," he said.

He raised concerns about the massive trade deficit, non-tariff regulations and Indians serving in the Russian army.