Moscow [Russia], August 13 (ANI): Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on August 21 in Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X.

The post stated, 'On August 21, FM Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with FM of India S. Jaishankar in Moscow. The Ministers will discuss key issues on our bilateral agenda, as well as key aspects of cooperation within international frameworks.'

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/1955548841404752309

The upcoming meeting follows a session between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)'s Foreign Ministers' Meeting on July 15. In a post on X, Russia's Foreign Ministry shared, 'Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India @DrSJaishankar hold a meeting on the sidelines of the #SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.'

The high-level interaction came shortly after the meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, China, in late June this year. The leaders discussed the supply of S-400 systems, Su-30 MKI upgrades, and procurement of critical military hardware in expeditious timeframes, as noted by an official statement from the Ministry of Defence.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov had also held a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6. In a statement shared on X, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, 'Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India @DrSJaishankar hold a meeting on the sidelines of the XVII #BRICS Summit. Rio de Janeiro, July 6.'

The two leaders had previously met in Johannesburg in February this year, where they discussed the ongoing progress of bilateral cooperation between India and Russia. The BRICS Summit, hosted by Brazil, brought together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, as well as new members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia.

Building on these diplomatic engagements, an all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi visited Russia in May as part of India's global outreach programme, Operation Sindoor, where she reiterated India's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.

These meetings underscore the continued focus on strengthening India-Russia ties across diplomatic, defence, and multilateral platforms. (ANI)