External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reviewed bilateral ties and BRICS cooperation in New York, reaffirming the importance of the India-Russia strategic partnership amid a complex global environment.
United Nations, Sept 2026 : India and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their “special and privileged” strategic partnership as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly session in New York.
According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, the two sides reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and maintaining close coordination through multilateral platforms, including the United Nations, G20 and BRICS.
Jaishankar described the meeting as a “good” one in a post on X, saying the two ministers exchanged views on several ongoing issues and reviewed bilateral relations as well as cooperation within BRICS.
The meeting comes shortly after the BRICS Leaders’ Summit hosted by India earlier this month. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the summit in New Delhi, where he also held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders reviewed cooperation across political, economic, defence, energy, space and other areas, while also discussing regional and global developments.
The India-Russia relationship has continued to remain an important element of New Delhi’s external engagement. The two countries have described their ties as a “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”, covering areas ranging from defence and energy to trade, science and technology, space and people-to-people relations.
The Ukraine conflict remains an important element of the wider international diplomatic environment surrounding India-Russia relations. However, neither Jaishankar nor the Russian Foreign Ministry referred specifically to the Ukraine conflict in their accounts of Friday’s meeting. Jaishankar referred instead to discussions on “a number of ongoing issues”.
Earlier during his current UNGA engagements, Jaishankar also met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The two sides discussed recent developments and peace efforts, according to their respective statements.
India has consistently maintained that dialogue and diplomacy are essential for resolving conflicts. During his recent meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Modi reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy should guide efforts to resolve conflicts.
The Jaishankar-Lavrov meeting also comes as India continues to play an active role in BRICS. India is chairing the expanded grouping in 2026, following the New Delhi summit held on September 12-13. The summit declaration reaffirmed cooperation among member states across political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people areas.
At the UNGA, Jaishankar has been holding a series of bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts as India engages on issues including multilateral reform, climate change, terrorism, global economic challenges and the interests of developing countries.
The latest India-Russia talks underline the continued engagement between New Delhi and Moscow at a time of shifting geopolitical alignments and underline the importance both sides attach to bilateral cooperation and coordination in multilateral forums.
