Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in South Africa’s Johannesburg when they discussed the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Jaishankar said he also discussed India-Russia bilateral ties with his Russian counterpart.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM).
After the meeting, Jaishankar wrote on X: “Glad to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia this evening in Johannesburg.”
“Reviewed the continued progress of India-Russia bilateral cooperation,” he said.
Jaishankar said: “Discussed recent developments pertaining to the Ukraine conflict, including his Riyadh meeting. Agreed to remain in touch.”
The meeting occurred just days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Lavrov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when they agreed to work towards ending the Ukraine war.
US-Russia meeting
“Appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides,” read a statement issued by the US State Department at the meeting between the two key leaders.
The two leaders also decided to lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Jaishankar is visiting Johannesburg from February 20 to February 21 to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) at the invitation of South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola.
“EAM’s participation in the G20 FMM will strengthen India’s engagement with G20 countries and bolster the voice of the Global South in this important forum,” read a statement posted by the Ministry of External Affairs earlier.
Apart from Lavrov, Jaishankar also met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Singaporean Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan among others.
