External affairs minister S Jaishankar, who embarked on a five-day visit to Russia, is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov today, Wednesday, where the leaders discussed a wide range of issues including bilateral, trade, currency, Middle East conflict, Ukraine crisis and other global issues.
Earlier this year, both leaders met each other multiple times where both discussed Global South and the Group of 20 (G20), the expansion of the BRICS and other Asia-centric issues.
According to the Russian state media outlet, TASS, this time, the sides are expected to pay special attention to enhancing cooperation in various spheres and boosting dialogue within the framework of multilateral formats, including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Group of Twenty (G20) and BRICS.
Israel-Hamas war on agenda
The Indian minister is also scheduled to visit Russia’s second largest city St. Petersburg and a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov. Earlier on Tuesday, Jaishankar had held meetings with Manturov where the duo discussed the opportunities lie in India.
During the conversation, it is expected that the ministers would discuss the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, especially between Israel and Hamas, besides holding a detailed analysis of the Ukraine war which Moscow dubbed as a "special military operation".
It is worth mentioning that neither New Delhi nor Moscow did not condemn the ongoing war in Gaza but advocated for a two-state solution.
Expansion of BRICS
Moreover, it was expected that Jaishankar would discuss the expansion of BRICS amid reports Pakistan is willing to join the bloc under the presidency of Moscow.
Earlier last month, Russian news agency, TASS, reported that Islamabad applied for membership with the BRICS Group of Nations Union in 2024. The media reported Quoting a recent interview with Pakistan’s newly appointed Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali. The league of developed and developing nations originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and was formed in 2010. At its last summit in South Africa in October the BRICS group decided to invite six more countries to join their alliance.
