Jaishankar heads to Russia soon after Chinese FM lands in India next week amid Trump tariff row. What's on the table?
Before the two leaders meet in Moscow, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India on 18 August to hold border talks with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
India's diplomatic engagement with Russia and China comes as US-imposed tariffs have strained New Delhi's ties with Washington, DC. In fact, government is yet to take a final call on the trip, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit the United States for the United Nations General Assembly next month, according to sources.
Jaishankar's trip to Russia comes days after NSA Doval travelled to Russia and met President Vladimir Putin and several top-ranking officials. People familiar with the external affairs minister's trip to Moscow told news agency PTI that the the two sides are also likely to finalise various elements of Putin's visit to India later this year.
Deputy spokesperson of Russia's foreign ministry Aleksey Fadeyev said in Moscow that the heads of the two countries' foreign offices will discuss "most important issues of the bilateral agenda".
Jaishankar will be on a two-day visit to Russia and is likely to call on Putin, as well as hold wide-ranging talks with Foreign Minister Lavrov.
The external affairs minister is also expected to co-chair the 26th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic, Scientific-Technological and Cultural Cooperation.
The Russian delegation at the dialogue is likely to be led by First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. India's continued energy procurement from Russia is likely to figure in Jaishankar's meetings with Russian leaders in Moscow.
US President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods as a penalty for New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.
The additional duties raised the overall tariff on India to 50 per cent.
India has been defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be in India on Monday, 18 August to hold border talks with NSA Ajit Doval, days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned trip to China to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The Chinese foreign minister is visiting India primarily to hold the next round of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question, according to sources.
Wang and Doval are the designated special representatives for the boundary talks.
The NSA travelled to China in December last and held the SR talks with Wang, weeks after Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to revive various dialogue mechanisms between the two sides at a meeting in the Russian city of Kazan.
It is learnt that Wang may also hold a separate meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Narendra Modi is expected to travel to China later this month to attend the SCO summit. As per the plan, Narendra Modi will visit Japan around August 29. After concluding the trip, he will travel to the northern Chinese city of Tianjin for the summit, which will be held on August 31 and September 1.
Narendra Modi's visit to China is being planned amid efforts by the two sides to repair their bilateral ties, which came under severe strain following the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.
The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and the clashes at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties.
The decision to revive various dialogue mechanisms was taken at the meeting between Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on 23 October 2024.
The two sides also initiated several initiatives to rebuild ties, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and New Delhi restarting the issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals.
India and China are set to resume direct flights as soon as next month, Bloomberg reported citing officials in the know.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited China in the last two months to attend SCO meetings. China is the current chair of the SCO.
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