Jaishankar pays tribute at Moscow's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Russia visit

Moscow [Russia], August 20 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid tribute at Moscow's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Wednesday.

The tribute at the historic memorial came as part of his ongoing visit to Russia.

Highlighting the broader engagements of his visit, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said he was "pleased to interact with prominent scholars and think tank representatives of Russia," where he discussed India-Russia ties and broader global issues.

"Discussed India-Russia relations, contemporary world geopolitics and India's viewpoint," Jaishankar said in a post on X.

The interaction came as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar embarked on a visit to Russia from Tuesday to Thursday, as per an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.

During his visit, he will meet Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and also co-chair the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation.

In an official statement, the MEA said that the visit of the External Affairs Minister comes at the invitation of First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov.

"Dr. S. Jaishankar, will undertake an official visit to Russia on 19-21 August 2025 to co-chair the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) scheduled for 20 August 2025."

The EAM will also address the India-Russia Business Forum meeting in Moscow.

As per the statement, during his visit, EAM will also meet the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and review the bilateral agenda and share perspective on regional and global issues.

The statement highlighted that the visit aims to further strengthen the longstanding and time-tested India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.

The development comes amid strain in India's ties with the US over New Delhi's procurement of crude oil from Russia.

Ties between Washington and New Delhi faced fresh strain on the trade front, as government sources confirmed that the US team would not travel to India for the sixth round of bilateral trade negotiations scheduled for August 25.

The setback comes just days after Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, raising the total levy to 50 per cent, along with an unspecified penalty for India's continued oil imports from Russia.

Earlier on August 13, the Foreign Ministry of Russia had said that EAM Jaishankar and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov's meeting would discuss key issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as key aspects of cooperation within international frameworks.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared his insights about the recent meeting in Alaska with US President Donald Trump over the Ukraine conflict. PM Modi said India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. He thanked the Russian President for the phone call and for sharing his perspective on the Alaska meeting. (ANI)

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