Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Expected to Visit Moscow This Week

New Delhi: Ahead of the proposed visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to India this year, foreign secretary Vikram Misri is expected to visit Moscow later this week, although there has been no official announcement yet by New Delhi till the evening. The visit is expected to be a preparatory one for the presidential visit that will further cement ties between the two time-tested friends. The visit of the foreign secretary will take place at a time when Western pressure on New Delhi to curtail ties with Moscow has considerably eased following the rift between the Trump administration in the United States, that has softened towards Russia, and the European Union, which remains deeply antagonistic towards Moscow due to the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi, a major importer of Russian oil, will no doubt be breathing easier.

It may be recalled that President Putin had last visited New Delhi over three years ago, in December, 2021, before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Moscow on a bilateral visit in July last year, his first to Russia since the outbreak of the conflict. He had also visited Russia for the second time last year in October to attend the Brics summit in the city of Kazan.

During Mr Modi’s visit to Moscow in July last year and talks with President Putin, the two nations had decided to ramp up ties at the bilateral 22nd annual summit co-chaired by the two leaders during which India’s needs for fuel and fertiliser security and continued Russian support in this regard were discussed. In the agenda that was “principally economic”, the need to “broad-base the trade basket”, increase market access for Indian goods in Russia and reduce trade imbalance had also been discussed. In his remarks on bilateral ties then, Mr Modi had profusely thanked President Putin for Russia’s support to India on the food and fertiliser security front and had hailed the strength of the India-Russia partnership in an uncertain world marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and armed conflict. He had said the Russian support had helped India to protect its citizens from fuel price shocks and had also ensured that Indian farmers get ample supplies of fertilisers for their crop output. Mr Modi had also said the India-Russia pact on fuel supplies had also played a role in stabilising the global fuel market. He had also thanked the Russian President for support to India’s “Make in India” initiatives that would generate jobs for Indian youth.