Jaishankar to meet Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov (PTI)

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar will be meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on August 21, reported news agency Reuters citing a spokesman for Lavrov’s ministry.New Delhi and Moscow have talked up their “strategic partnership” since US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on Indian imports earlier this month over its purchases of Russian crude, which he claimed was fueling Moscow’s war in Ukraine.Last week, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports in response to New Delhi’s continued purchase of crude oil from Moscow, bumping up the total tariff to 50 per cent. The Kremlin published footage of Putin shaking hands with Ajit Doval, though provided no details of what was discussed in the meeting.Doval also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit India soon. The visit is expected to take place by the end of 2025. “We are very excited and delighted to learn about the visit of President Putin to India. I think that the dates are almost finalised now,” Doval said. “You have very rightly mentioned that we have a very special relationship, long relationship, and we highly value our strategic partnership. We have had high-level engagements and these high-level engagements have contributed very substantially. We are very excited and delighted to learn about the visit of President Putin to India. I think that the dates are almost finalised now,” he added.