The Indian External Affairs Minister is going to Russia for a Bilateral Meeting

New Delhi – Now as the war rages on in Ukraine, India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is headed to Russia for a bilateral visit. He will be holding talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Russian trade minister Denis Manturov on Tuesday.

The meeting comes days before the G20 summit in Bali, where Putin will be in the same room with the Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden for the first time since the war broke out.

But there’s another reason Josh Franco’s trip is being regarded as a crucial one in the eyes of being billed as a potential negotiator between Russia and Ukraine. Jaishankar’s visit is expected to finalize cooperation between India and Russia under multilateral frameworks, including G 20, SCO, and even BRICs.

But all eyes are on the possibility of the US accepting India as a mediator between the two sides of the war. Reports say that India has intervened between Ukraine and Russia quietly whenever there has been a deadlock.

Like in July, India had weighed in with Russia on the grains shipment from ports in the Black Sea. Much of these messages have been delivered confidentially as Delhi is known to have positioned itself with credibility on both sides.

Meanwhile, reports say that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered assistance on peace talks during a call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, also said that Ukraine would not conduct any negotiations with Putin directly but is committed to peaceful settlement through dialogue.

But as the winter approaches in the conflict zone, there is a sense that both sides would want a ceasefire before early next year, and many view this as a potential opportunity for India to be a broker between the two sides. As you already know that India needs Russia as the Russian government provides defense supplies.

This is the most important pillar of the relationship between the two nations. But for the first time in the last three winters, Russian military supply lines are under strain due to the ongoing war.

This comes at a time when Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a border standoff in the eastern Ladakh region. Another important element is the energy relationship.

Russia has reportedly become India’s largest supplier of crude oil in October as refinery stepped up in the purchase of discounted seaborne oil. This has not gone down well with Ukraine, as well as its western partners. Jaishankar is visit is expected to look at these aspects as well.

What is also significant is that Prime Minister Modi is expected to visit Russia this year. And if that happens, Jeff Shanker will be there to lay the groundwork.