NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held separate meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit and the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Manila, discussing bilateral ties, regional security and key global developments.
In his meeting with Lavrov, Jaishankar reiterated India’s “strong concern” over the safety of Indian seafarers in the Black Sea region, a day after New Delhi summoned the Russian Charge d'Affaires to protest the deaths of four Indian crew members in a Russian missile strike on the Guinea Bissau-flagged merchant vessel MV Golden Leo off the coast of Ukraine.
The talks came against the backdrop of India’s strongest diplomatic protest over the incident, with the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday describing the attack on commercial shipping as “unacceptable” and urging Russia to ensure such incidents are not repeated.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar said the two ministers carried out “an in-depth review” of bilateral ties. “Reiterated our strong concern regarding the safety of Indian seafarers in the region. Discussed various aspects of our partnership, including trade & investment, energy & connectivity, science & technology, and mobility. Also exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict and the Gulf situation,” he said.
The discussions also covered trade, investment, energy security and connectivity, reflecting the broad agenda of the India-Russia strategic partnership even as New Delhi pressed Moscow on the safety of civilian maritime traffic. India has consistently maintained that the conflict in Ukraine should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
The meeting with Lavrov followed India's decision to summon Russian Charge d'Affaires Vladimir Ladanov on Tuesday to convey its “grave concerns” and “unequivocal condemnation” of the attack. Jaishankar also met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with both sides reviewing progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and discussing regional and global issues.
“Our meeting focused on areas which are priority for the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including trade & tariffs, energy, defence & security, critical minerals & artificial intelligence. We also exchanged quick perspectives on regional, global and multilateral issues of mutual interest,” Jaishankar said after the talks. Rubio described the discussions as wide-ranging and said: “We discussed regional security issues, the Quad, trade, and defense agreements. Our relationship with India is vitally important.”
