Russian President Vladimir Putin dials Narendra Modi, says unable to attend G20 meet

New Delhi, August 28

In their first conversation after the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t attend the G20 summit, PM Narendra Modi reviewed progress with him on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern, including the recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Putin, who rang up Modi, conveyed his inability to attend the September 9-10 G20 summit here and informed that Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. While expressing an understanding for the decision, the PM thanked Putin for Russia’s consistent support to all initiatives under India’s G20 presidency, said an official news release. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.

The Russian President also again warmly congratulated the PM on the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s south pole. They reaffirmed the willingness to further develop bilateral cooperation in space exploration. The Kremlin said the two leaders discussed the results of the XV BRICS summit, especially the expansion of BRICS, which “will undoubtedly contribute to the growth of its influence in international affairs”. The two sides agreed on close interaction in the context of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship starting on January 1, 2024.