Astana:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said he clearly and strongly raised the issue of Indians stranded in the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov during a bilateral in Kazakhstan’s Asthana.

On whether he raised the stranded Indians issue with Lavrov, Mr Jaishankar told ANI, “Very clearly and strongly… several Indians have been pressed into service with the Russian Army. Only when they come back will we know the full circumstances. But whatever the circumstances are, to us it is unacceptable that Indian citizens find themselves in the army of another country in a warzone. I told him that we seek their cooperation and that they are our friend and partners. We have to find a way so that these people can return to India as quickly and effectively as possible.”

S Jaishankar added that Mr Lavrov appreciated the point and the Indian Foreign Ministry has been speaking to the Russian Defence Ministry in this regard.

“I urged him that we need a much stronger follow-up. I have taken it up and I intend to continue taking it up until all our people there come back,” he said.

Mr Jaishankar also shared his view on the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia and called it a great opportunity for both leaders to sit down and directly talk to each other on the growing economic relationship between the two countries.

“There was a bit of a delay in our annual summits, it is a good tradition, we are two countries which have a strong history of working together. We did value the need for an annual summit. Last year when I went to Moscow, I carried a message from the PM that we are committed to the annual summit and we will do it sooner…it is a regular recurrence. It is a way of taking stock of any relationship…one of the biggest changes has been that our economic relationship with Russia has grown tremendously…at the leadership of level, it will be a great opportunity for PM Modi and (Russian) President Putin to sit down and directly talk to each other,” Mr Jaishankar said.

Around 20 persons were allegedly duped into fighting for the Russian Army in the war against Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs. At least two Indians have died.

The MEA confirmed in April that among the Indian nationals who were working as support staff in the Russian Army, 10 have returned to India.

Earlier this year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), busted a major human trafficking network running across the country targeting Indian nationals on the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad but allegedly sending them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting, in Astana, Kazhakstan.
| Photo Credit: PTI

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, raised the issue of Indian nationals in the war zone and pressed for their safe return during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov here.

Mr. Jaishankar arrived here on Tuesday. July 2, to represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

“Good to meet Russian FM Sergey Lavrov in Astana today. Wide ranging conversation on our bilateral partnership and contemporary issues. Noted the progress in many areas since our last meeting in December 2023,” Mr. Jaishankar posted on X.

FMs meet ahead of Modi-Putin talks

The meeting between the two Foreign Ministers happened days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Raised our strong concern on Indian nationals who are currently in the war zone. Pressed for their safe and expeditious return,” he added in his post, which also had photos from the meeting.

The External Affairs Minister also discussed the global strategic landscape and exchanged assessments and views with Mr. Lavrov.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Jaishankar met Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu and discussed expanding Strategic Partnership and India’s increasing engagement with Central Asia in various formats.

He also exchanged views on regional and global issues with Nurtleu, who also holds the portfolio as Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister.

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has received praise from his Russia counterpart for asking the West “to mind their own business” when it questioned India’s procurement of Russian oil after the Ukraine war began. 

Russian FM recalls words of ‘amigo’ Jaishankar, who advised Europeans to look at themselves before lecturing others

“My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He… pic.twitter.com/nD4C0YHMDj

— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) March 4, 2024

In a video shared by Russian news agency Sputnik, the country’s foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov is seen addressing the World Youth Forum in Sochi. “My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He advised them to mind their own business and reminded them at the same time how much oil the West had started buying and continued to buy oil from the Russian Federation. This is national dignity,” Lavrov says in Russian.

After the Ukraine war broke out, most countries of the West imposed sanctions on Moscow and stopped buying crude Russian oil. India, however, refused to play along. Dr Jaishankar articulated New Delhi’s position on international forums, emphasising that Indian citizens cannot afford high energy prices and that the Narendra Modi government is only trying to get the best deal possible for its citizens.

The foreign minister also called out Europe’s “double standards” and said that it needs to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.

More recently, Dr Jaishankar was asked about India’s continuing procurement of Russian oil at a security conference in Munich. He was asked if this becomes a problem in its equations with other major allies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock by his side, Dr Jaishankar replied, “Why should it be a problem? I am smart enough to have multiple options. You should be admiring and not criticising. Is it a problem for others? I do not think so.”

The External Affairs Minister has said India’s position on the Ukraine war is “very clear and very public”. “The Indian position articulated by my prime minister is that this is not an era of war and that dialogue and diplomacy is the answer,” he has said.

The Narendra Modi government’s stand has received praise from Moscow earlier, too. In January, Russia President Vladimir Putin said Moscow “can rely on India and its leadership because it is assured that New Delhi won’t play ‘games’ against them on the international stage”.

“India is pursuing an independent foreign policy, which is not easy in today’s world. But India, with a population of 1.5 billion, has the right to do so. And under the leadership of the Prime Minister, that right is being realised. This is not just a statement, it is important from the point of organising joint work because it gives us the opportunity to forecast the actions of our partners in medium and long terms,” Putin said.

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has received praise from his Russia counterpart for asking the West “to mind their own business” when it questioned India’s procurement of Russian oil after the Ukraine war began. 

Russian FM recalls words of ‘amigo’ Jaishankar, who advised Europeans to look at themselves before lecturing others

“My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He… pic.twitter.com/nD4C0YHMDj

— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) March 4, 2024

In a video shared by Russian news agency Sputnik, the country’s foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov is seen addressing the World Youth Forum in Sochi. “My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He advised them to mind their own business and reminded them at the same time how much oil the West had started buying and continued to buy oil from the Russian Federation. This is national dignity,” Lavrov says in Russian.

After the Ukraine war broke out, most countries of the West imposed sanctions on Moscow and stopped buying crude Russian oil. India, however, refused to play along. Dr Jaishankar articulated New Delhi’s position on international forums, emphasising that Indian citizens cannot afford high energy prices and that the Narendra Modi government is only trying to get the best deal possible for its citizens.

The foreign minister also called out Europe’s “double standards” and said that it needs to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.

More recently, Dr Jaishankar was asked about India’s continuing procurement of Russian oil at a security conference in Munich. He was asked if this becomes a problem in its equations with other major allies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock by his side, Dr Jaishankar replied, “Why should it be a problem? I am smart enough to have multiple options. You should be admiring and not criticising. Is it a problem for others? I do not think so.”

The External Affairs Minister has said India’s position on the Ukraine war is “very clear and very public”. “The Indian position articulated by my prime minister is that this is not an era of war and that dialogue and diplomacy is the answer,” he has said.

The Narendra Modi government’s stand has received praise from Moscow earlier, too. In January, Russia President Vladimir Putin said Moscow “can rely on India and its leadership because it is assured that New Delhi won’t play ‘games’ against them on the international stage”.

“India is pursuing an independent foreign policy, which is not easy in today’s world. But India, with a population of 1.5 billion, has the right to do so. And under the leadership of the Prime Minister, that right is being realised. This is not just a statement, it is important from the point of organising joint work because it gives us the opportunity to forecast the actions of our partners in medium and long terms,” Putin said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend the talks in Pyongyang, North Korea, on October 19, 2023.
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service telegram channel via AP

Russia’s Foreign Minister proposed regular security talks with North Korea and China to deal with what he described as increasing U.S.-led regional military threats, as he met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his top diplomat on October 19 during a visit to Pyongyang.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in North Korea’s capital on October 20 on a two-day trip expected to focus on how to boost the two countries’ defence ties following a September summit between Mr. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last week, the United States said North Korea had transferred munitions to Russia to boost its fighting capabilities in Ukraine in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any weapons trading involving North Korea.

On October 19, Mr. Lavrov met Mr. Kim for talks that lasted about an hour, Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported, without elaborating. Mr. Lavrov met his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, earlier on October 19 and lauded deepening bilateral cooperation.

The Lavrov-Kim meeting “means that the recent fleet of containers likely caring munitions from North Korea to Russia was not the last Kim-Putin transaction the world has to worry about,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul.

“After accepting Pyongyang’s help to resupply the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is set to commit further violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions by providing North Korea with weapons technology that could threaten stability in East Asia,” Mr. Easley said.

More details of Mr. Lavrov’s meetings with Mr. Kim and Ms. Choe weren’t immediately available. But Tass quoted Mr. Lavrov as telling reporters that he supports holding regular talks on security issues on the Korean Peninsula with North Korea and China.

“The United States, Japan and South Korea intensifying military activity here and Washington working toward moving strategic infrastructure, including nuclear aspects, here, are of great concern to us and our North Korean friends,” Mr. Lavrov said, according to Tass. “We oppose this unconstructive and dangerous policy with a course toward de-escalation and inadmissibility of escalating tensions here.”

The recent flurry of diplomacy between Russia and North Korea underscores how their interests are aligning in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the United States — North Korea over its advancing nuclear program and Russia over its war with Ukraine.

The U.S. has been expanding regular military drills with South Korea and temporarily deploying more powerful military assets around the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea’s barrage of missile tests since last year. The U.S. and South Korea have also resumed some trilateral military exercises with Japan.

The focus of outside attention during Mr. Lavrov’s visit is whether the two countries will provide any hints of how they will solidify their security cooperation or announce the timing of Mr. Putin’s promised trip to Pyongyang to reciprocate Mr. Kim’s visit to Russia’s Far East.

During his travel to Russia, Mr. Kim met Mr. Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s most important domestic space launch centre, and inspected other key Russian weapon-making sites. That triggered intense speculation that Mr. Kim seeks sophisticated Russian technologies to modernize his nuclear arsenal in return for supplying conventional arms to refill Russia’s declining weapons inventory. Neither Russia nor North Korea has disclosed what Mr. Putin and Mr. Kim agreed to during the summit.

“After the historic summit between President Putin and Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome on September 13, we can confidently say that the relations have reached a qualitatively new strategic level,” Mr. Lavrov said at the start of his meeting with Ms. Choe, according to Russia’s state-run Interfax news agency.

Ms. Choe said her meeting with Mr. Lavrov “will become an important stage in terms of the implementation of the agreements” reached by Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin, Tass said.

During a dinner banquet held for him on October 18, Mr. Lavrov said Russia deeply values North Korea’s “unwavering and principled support” for its war on Ukraine as well as Pyongyang’s decision to recognize the independence of Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

North Korean state media said Mr. Lavrov also praised North Korea for “remaining unfazed by any pressure of the U.S. and the West,” and said that Russia fully supports Mr. Kim’s push to protect its security and economic interests. Ms. Choe said Pyongyang and Moscow were building an “unbreakable comradely relationship” under the leadership of Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin.

The White House said Friday that North Korea had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia. The White House released images that it said showed the containers were loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship before being moved via train to southwestern Russia.

Also Read: U.S. imposes sanctions on North Korean, Russian accused of supporting North Korea’s ballistics missile program

Since last year, the U.S. has accused North Korea of providing ammunition, artillery shells and rockets to Russia, likely much of them copies of Soviet-era munitions. North Korea has steadfastly denied it shipped arms to Russia, but South Korean officials said North Korean weapons provided to Russia have already been used in Ukraine.

Lim Soosuk, spokesperson of South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters on October 19 that Seoul was closely monitoring Mr. Lavrov’s visit to North Korea and that any cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang should be conducted in a way that complies with U.N. Security Council resolutions.

When asked whether Mr. Lavrov’s comments stating that Russia fully supports Mr. Kim’s policies could be interpreted as an acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear weapons status, Mr. Lim insisted that the North “no matter what it does, will never be recognized as a nuclear power and will face increasing international sanctions.”

New Delhi:

The Western powers failed to “Ukrainise” the agenda of the G20 largely due to consolidated efforts by the grouping’s member nations from the Global South, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, hailing the declaration unveiled by the leaders of the bloc that avoided condemning Moscow for its war against Ukraine.

He also described the G20 Summit under India’s presidency as a “breakthrough” in many ways as its outcomes showed a path to the world to move forward on a range of challenges.

“We didn’t expect that. We were ready to defend our wording of the text. The Global South is no longer willing to be lectured,” he said referring to the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.

India managed to hammer out an unexpected consensus among the G20 countries on the contentious Ukraine conflict through a series of hectic negotiations with emerging economies such as Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia playing a leading role in reaching the agreement on the declaration.

At a press briefing, Lavrov said India played an important role in “preventing the West” from taking forward their approach on many issues, including Ukraine.

The G20 members of the Global South prevented the efforts of the West to “Ukrainise” the agenda of the summit, he noted.

The summit declaration clearly sent across a message that military conflicts in the world must be resolved according to the UN Charter and that the Western powers will not be able to press ahead with their concepts of resolution of various crises, Lavrov said.

“The summit was a breakthrough event as it gave clear guidelines for achieving such goals (of ensuring a balance of interests in the global economy),” he said, hailing India’s presidency of the grouping.

In his remarks, the Russian foreign minister said the united position of the Global South prevented the West from focusing the G20 summit’s agenda on Ukraine.

“Largely thanks to the consolidated position of the Global South on protecting its legitimate interests, Western attempts to focus the agenda on Ukraine to the detriment of discussing the pressing issues the developing world is facing failed,” he said.

Lavrov said India has for the first time in the history of the G20 managed to consolidate representatives of the Global South.

He said the G20 developing countries have a “correct picture” of what is going on in Ukraine, alleging that “the Kiev regime destroyed its country’s territorial integrity by itself”.

Mr Lavrov also noted that the G20 Summit in New Delhi provided a direction towards fairness in global governance and global finance as well.

“I want to express my gratitude to India for preventing attempts to politicise the G20,” he said, adding the West will not be able to remain a “hegemony” as we see new centres of power coming up in the world.

On challenges emanating from climate change, the Russian foreign minister said the Western powers have done nothing on its promise of providing USD 100 billion annually to developing nations to deal with climate change.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)