PM Meets Russian Foreign Minister Amid Pressure To Take Anti-Moscow Stand

New Delhi: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this evening, in a significant gesture amid international pressure on India to take a stand against Russia’s Ukraine invasion.

PM Modi and the Russian Foreign Minister met for 40 minutes.

The Prime Minister has not publicly met any other visiting Ministers in the past two weeks, including those from UK, China, Austria, Greece and Mexico.

Earlier today, Mr Lavrov had said he wished to convey a “message personally” from President Vladimir Putin to PM Modi.

“The President (Putin) and the Prime Minister are in regular touch with each other and I will report to the President about my negotiations. He sends by the way his best regards to Prime Minister Modi and I would appreciate an opportunity to deliver this message personally,” the Russian Foreign Minister had told reporters.

He was making his opening remarks at a discussion with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.