External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. File. | Photo credit: ANI
Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in the Persian Gulf, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the “evolving multipolar order” required “greater cooperation” between India and Russia both bilaterally and multilaterally through groupings such as BRICS, SCO, G20 and the United Nations. Addressing a conference on India-Russia relations through a video link, Mr Jaishankar said relations between Delhi and Moscow in recent decades have helped in promoting “regional and global peace” and stability. Speaking at the same event, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said India-Russia relations were of “great importance” against the backdrop of the US-Israel war with Iran and said Russia was “looking forward” to hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the annual India-Russia summit in 2026.
“The evolving multipolar order requires greater cooperation, including through the BRICS, SCO, G20 and the UN. India looks forward to working closely with Russia to address shared challenges in a balanced and inclusive manner during its BRICS chairmanship with a ‘humanity first’ and ‘people centric’ approach,” Mr Jaishankar said at the ‘New Age India To Russia’ conference. Speaking about the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia, Mr Jaishankar said the relationship continued to “deepen”, recalling that during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi in December 2025, the two sides signed several agreements in areas such as mobility of skilled professionals, health and food safety, maritime cooperation, fertilisers, customs and trade.
“Over the decades, our mutually beneficial cooperation has advanced regional and global peace, stability and progress,” Mr. Jaishankar said. He expressed India’s support for the Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement, for which both sides expressed readiness during Mr. Putin’s last visit to India. He praised Russia’s partnership with India in the field of civil nuclear energy and called Russia a “leading partner” of India in the field of civil nuclear energy and called the Kudankulam nuclear project a “stellar example”. Mr. Jaishankar also mentioned the newly opened Indian consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg as missions that would further strengthen overall India-Russia relations.
At the same event, Mr Lavrov said that India was “constantly striving for strategic autonomy” in the current world scenario. He said that around 96% of India-Russia trade is now conducted in national currencies and expressed Russian support for India’s BRICS chairmanship in 2026. He further said that bilateral relations between the two sides are of “great importance” against the backdrop of “the acute military and political crisis in the Persian Gulf provoked by the United States and Israel”.
“Ready to Help”
“Interactions in multilateral formats are developing on an upward trajectory within the framework of the UN, BRICS, SCO and G20. This year, India is chairing the BRICS under the motto of ‘strengthening resilience, innovation, cooperation and stability. We are ready to fully assist our Indian friends throughout their presidency,'” Mr. Lavrov said in a video link to the video. Referring to the annual India-Russia summit to be held in Russia this year, Mr Lavrov said: “We look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia in 2026.” Mr Lavrov praised India for pursuing an “independent foreign policy” and said India’s “consistent prioritization of national interests commands the deepest respect”.
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Mr Lavrov’s remarks were followed by his telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. In a statement after the call, Iran’s foreign ministry called for regional coordination, saying: “Araghchi also stressed the need for continued consultations between Iran and Russia, as well as with other regional partners, to explore ways to maintain peace and stability. Iran urged BRICS to play an ‘independent role’ under the Indian presidency as the US-Israeli campaign against Iran continues.”
I am delighted to be speaking virtually at the ‘India and Russia: Towards a New Bilateral Agenda’ conference.
He emphasized our commitment to work together to develop our special and privileged strategic partnership. @russian_council@mfa_russia
🇮🇳 🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/epNwqz0Xtz
—Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 23, 2026
Published – 23 March 2026 23:01 IST
