Minister Jaishankar heads to Moscow, important moves expected: report

New Delhi: Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Russia first time since the start of Ukraine war to discuss further economic cooperation with the nation, reports say.

In his two-day visit, Jaishankar will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov alongside closeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov whom Jaishankar met four times after the Ukraine conflict started in February, according to India Today. 

External Affairs Minister's visit gathers importance as Russia is threatening the west with nuclear attack on Ukraine alongside facing on trade front crippling sanctions.

Also to note is Jaishankar's visit comes ahead of the G-20 summit in Bali, scheduled for November 15-16.

The external affairs minister will discuss with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, bilateral issues as well as various regional and international developments," according to MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, India Today reported.

"The external affairs minister will also meet Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov, his counterpart for the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC)," Bagchi was quoted as saying.

The MEA Spokesperson referred to India's avowed stand of conflicting parties to return to dialogue.

Describing the visit a continuation of the regular high-level dialogue, Bagchi said India will again emphasis on the need to return to diplomacy to solve the conflict.

When asked about the ties between Pakistan and Ukraine on nuclear proliferation, the spokesperson said New Delhi expressed concerns over proliferation of Pakistan's nuclear technology in the past.

The minister is visiting Russia in the midst of India's increasing the import of discounted crude oil from Russia for the last few months.