Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in India on Thursday on a two-day official visit, his first visit to the country since Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine last month. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Lavrov will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday.
A media advisory on Lavrov’s visit issued by the Foreign Ministry did not mention any meeting between the Russian foreign minister and the prime minister. The Foreign Minister of Russia arrived in India after a two-day visit to China.
According to PTI, people familiar with the preparations for the talks said that India may pressurize the Russian side to ensure timely delivery of various military hardware as well as components of the S-400 missile system.
His visit to India is accompanied by US Deputy National Security Adviser Dalip Singh and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India. EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific Gabriel Vicentin visited New Delhi this week.
India has not yet condemned Russia
Unlike many other major powers, India has not yet criticized Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and has avoided votes in UN forums, avoiding condemning the Russian aggression.
However, last Thursday, India withheld a resolution brought by Russia on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, which was seen as reflective of its neutral position on the conflict. India has been pressing for a solution to the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue.
Vladimir Putin made a big bet to save the ruble from falling, know the whole matter
Modi held phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, March 2 and March 7. Modi had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky twice.
Last week, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar told Parliament that India’s position on the Ukraine conflict has been “steadfast and consistent” and called for an immediate end to the violence.
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