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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Russian foreign minister Lavrov calls off planned visit to India
New Delhi: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has called off a planned visit to India this month, which was meant to prepare for President Vladimir Putin's trip to the country, because of scheduling issues, people familiar with the matter said. Lavrov was expected to be in New Delhi around June 16 for talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, the people said on condition of anonymity. However, a belated invitation from Canada for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 Summit on June 17 has meant that Jaishankar is now expected to travel with the Prime Minister next week, the people said. No alternative dates have been firmed up for the visit by Lavrov, who would have been the first senior leader from a permanent member of the UN Security Council to travel to New Delhi after last month's military clashes between India and Pakistan. A time frame for Putin's visit for the annual India-Russia Summit too is yet to be finalised, though the trip looks unlikely in the next two months, the people said. Besides preparing for Putin's trip, Lavrov's visit would have been an opportunity for India and Russia to take stock of bilateral relations at a senior level. The two countries are set to hold meetings of two key bilateral bodies - the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation and the Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation - in the coming months. The people said these meetings continue to be on track. While the military commission will meet in India, the trade and economic panel will meet in Russia this year. Military cooperation between India and Russia has remained strong despite New Delhi's recent efforts to diversify sources of military hardware. Russian-origin weapons systems, especially the BrahMos cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, played a key role in the recent clashes with Pakistan. Putin's planned visit to India will be the first since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Modi travelled to Russia twice in 2024 - first for the annual summit and then to participate in the Brics Summit in Kazan. The two leaders are also expected to meet if they both travel to Brazil for the Brics Summit in July. However, US secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick recently criticised India's continuing purchases of Russian military hardware and its involvement in Brics primarily because of calls by several members of the grouping to reduce dependence on the US dollar. Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit, Lutnick said some of the Indian government's actions have 'rubbed the US the wrong way'. He added, 'For instance, you generally buy your military gear from Russia. That's a way to…get under the skin of America, if you go to buy your armaments from Russia.'
The Print
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
16 Indians still missing after joining Russian army, families to travel to Moscow for answers
Around 126 Indians joined the Russian Army to fight the war in Ukraine between the end of 2023 and early 2024. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 96 of them have returned to India, while 12 were killed on the frontlines. Russian authorities have been unable to ascertain the location of 16 Indians for over a year. In February, the government informed the Lok Sabha that 18 Indians were in Russia, of which 16 are missing. Of the remaining two, Jain T.K from Kerala, who was injured on the frontlines, returned in April. The other Indian has acquired Russian citizenship, said a person familiar with the matter. New Delhi: At least 16 Indians remain missing in Russia for over a year, after being forced to join the military there last year. Some of the family members of those missing are set to travel to Moscow later this month to further inquire about the case. The issue of Indians in the Russian armed forces has been raised at the highest levels, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting Russian President Vladimir V. Putin twice in 2024—at the annual India-Russia Summit in July and on the margins of the BRICS Summit at Kazan in October. Now, four family members of at least 14 of the missing Indians are set to travel to Moscow at the end of June for a month. They will be working with a local foundation and meet with Russian authorities to find out more about the status of the missing Indians. 'Four of us will be travelling to Moscow, along with the power of attorney for 10 of the other families. For the one and a half years, all we have been told is that our family members remain missing,' Jagdeep Kumar, one of the family members set to travel, told ThePrint. His brother Mandeep Kumar from Phillaur in Punjab was promised a visa to Italy before he departed India in December 2023. The family paid Rs 31.40 lakh to an agent for Mandeep's travel to Italy. However, rather than Italy, Mandeep landed up in Moscow and was signed up by the Russian Army. The family last spoke to him on 3 March, 2024. 'He was given 15 days of training to become a sniper in the Russian Army, before being sent to the frontlines. Mandeep has a handicap, which does not allow him to run, but he was sent to the frontlines,' Jagdeep told ThePrint. Also Read: 3 Indians missing after travelling to Iran, embassy 'strongly takes up matter' with Tehran From UP, Punjab to J&K & Maharashtra Families of at least 14 Indians held a protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar in the last week of May. Nine of them are from Uttar Pradesh, with the majority from Azamgarh district. Three are from Punjab, while one each is from Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra. One of the missing from Punjab, according to a list curated by the families and seen by ThePrint, is Tejpal Singh, from Amritsar. Singh's family also last spoke with him on 3 March last year, before he was taken to Tokmak city, in the Ukrainian province of Zaporizhzhia. Russia has sought to annex Zaporizhzhia, along with the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Crimea since the current phase of open warfare began a little over three years ago. Mandeep, on the other hand, was sent to Donetsk, after which his family lost all connection with him. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed last month that Arvind Kumar from Azamgarh district, one of the missing Indians, signed a contract on 17 January, 2024 to join the military in the Leningrad region. However, the military selection point for Leningrad region denied that other Indians, including Mandeep, signed contracts in the region for military service. New Delhi has pushed Moscow to ensure that no other Indians are allowed to join the Russian armed forces. The number of Indians signing up to the Russian military has since been curbed. There have been no new cases of Indians intimating either the Embassy in Moscow or the MEA of their service in the Russian armed forces. The Russia-Ukraine war has been ongoing since February 2022. In recent weeks, it has intensified, especially after Kyiv was able to destroy Russian strategic bombers through Operation Spiderweb. On Sunday, Russia is reported to have launched nearly 500 loitering munitions and missiles at Western Ukraine, in one of its largest such aerial attacks till date. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Another Indian recruit in Russian army dies on warfront, some yet to be released
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
India's Counter To Pahalgam Terror Attack: Putin vows full support
New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone on Monday to reiterate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack and to support India's fight against terrorism and bringing the perpetrators of the incident to justice. Putin was among the first world leaders to denounce the terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 civilians and call for its sponsors and perpetrators to be punished. Other world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, have called up Modi to condemn the attack. During his phone call with Modi, Putin 'strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam,' conveyed condolences at the loss of innocent lives and 'expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism', External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post. Putin 'emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice', Jaiswal said. A statement from the Russian embassy quoted Putin as describing the terror attack as 'barbaric' and said both sides emphasised the 'need for an uncompromising fight against terrorism'. 'During the conversation, the strategic nature of Russian-Indian relations as a special privileged partnership was emphasised. These relations are not subject to external influence and continue to develop dynamically in all areas,' the statement said. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to deepen the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia. Modi conveyed his greetings to Putin for the 80th anniversary of the Victory Day, which marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, and invited him to India for the annual India-Russia Summit later in the year, Jaiswal said. Soon after the terror attack, which India has said has 'cross-border linkages', Putin formally conveyed his condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Modi and said in his message: 'There can be no justification for this brutal crime. We expect that its sponsors and perpetrators will be duly punished.' At the time, Putin conveyed his readiness for further strengthening cooperation with Indian partners in the fight against all forms of terrorism.
