‘Ties with Russia more valuable in volatile times’: Jaishankar as he meets Lavrov

Earlier, in his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar said India and Russia have a shared interest in strengthening multipolarity and could benefit through greater “de-risking”.

“The last few years have seen a steady and sustained growth in our bilateral partnership. Its economic and energy dimensions have become pronounced. Our political cooperation is even more valuable in an uncertain and volatile global environment,” said Jaishankar.

“We have expanded our collaboration in science and technology. The mobility of talents and skills has acquired greater salience and our interest in ensuring better connectivity is deeper,” he added.

“The complicated international situation also merits an open exchange of views, especially between two trusted partners,” he said, adding that India and Russia have a shared interest in strengthening multipolarity.

Jaishankar also met Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and South Africa’s Minister for International Relations Ozzy Lamola, who are also in Delhi for the BRICS meeting.

Talking about his meeting with the newly-appointed Maldivian Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam, Jaishankar wrote on X: “Underlined our Neighbourhood First policy and reviewed our bilateral cooperation. Reiterated India’s commitment to Maldives’ progress and development.

India, as the 2026 chair of the BRICS, is hosting the conclave of the foreign ministers ahead of the annual summit of the grouping later in September.

While Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in New Delhi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will not be at the meeting, since it coincides with the high-stakes talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week. China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, is likely to represent Beijing at the BRICS meeting.

During the meeting, the MEA said that the foreign ministers of BRICS Member countries will exchange views on “global and regional issues of mutual interest”. On the second day, BRICS Member and Partner countries will participate in a session themed “BRICS at 20: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. This will be followed by a session on the “Reforms of Global Governance and Multilateral System”.

The last BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held on the margins of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025. The meeting was chaired by India in its capacity as the incoming BRICS Chair for 2026.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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