Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced President Vladimir Putin’s planned visit to New Delhi in December, underscoring the extensive bilateral cooperation between Russia and India. Highlighting the “particularly privileged strategic partnership,” Lavrov emphasized the strong ties in areas including trade, military cooperation, technological exchange, finance, humanitarian efforts, healthcare, and advancements in high-tech sectors such as artificial intelligence.
Lavrov affirmed India’s ability to independently make trade decisions with Russia despite US sanctions. “India is perfectly capable of making their own decisions in its trade relations with Russia,” he stated, as reported by news agency ANI. Reflecting on recent dialogues with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Lavrov noted the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two countries. “This year, my colleague— I spoke to him yesterday— will visit Russia, and I will visit India. We hold regular exchanges,” he said.
He also praised Jaishankar’s diplomatic stance, which asserts India’s autonomy in deciding its energy partnerships. In response to US sanctions imposed on India for purchasing Russian oil, Lavrov firmly stated that the economic partnership between India and Russia remains secure. “India selects its own international partners,” he reiterated.
Lavrov further remarked, “If the US has proposals on how to enrich bilateral trade between the US and India, they are prepared to discuss the terms for that.” He emphasized that India’s relationships with third states are matters to be decided independently, reflecting a broader sentiment of national pride.
The Russian foreign minister underscored the longstanding strategic partnership between India and Russia, recently elevated to a particularly privileged strategic partnership. He stressed that this relationship extends beyond the influence of US-India dynamics and pointed to several recent high-level meetings, including the encounter between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China.
Reiterating Russia’s strong support for India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Lavrov said, “Russia supports the application of Brazil and India for permanent seats on the Council,” according to ANI. He emphasized the urgent need for UNSC reform to better reflect the contemporary global landscape.
Lavrov’s remarks come as Mauritius and Bhutan have also voiced their support for India’s UNSC aspirations, aligning with the growing international call for a more representative Council. He highlighted the significant changes in global power dynamics since the UN’s formation 80 years ago and advocated for adjustments that would make the Security Council more effective and inclusive.
This perspective aligns with ongoing discussions about the necessity of collective representation from regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America in international forums. These developments coincide with broader demands for UNSC reform, as articulated in joint statements from recent BRICS meetings, which aim to create a Security Council that is more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient—reflecting the voices of developing nations.
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