In call with Modi, Putin says he is giving G20 meet a miss

Indian Express :
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and conveyed his inability to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10.

Putin informed Modi that Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

While expressing an understanding for Russia’s decision, Modi thanked Putin for Russia’s consistent support to all the initiatives under India’s G20 presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

“The two leaders reviewed progress on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern, including the recently concluded BRICS Summit in Johannesburg,” the PMO said in an official statement. Putin did not attend the BRICS Summit in person, but joined it virtually instead.

Lavrov represented Russia at the summit in Johannesburg. The PMO statement said the two leaders agreed to remain in touch.

Kremlin, in its statement, said that Putin congratulated Modi on the Chandrayaan mission, and the two sides confirmed their readiness to further develop bilateral space cooperation.

“The results of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg were discussed with a focus on the importance of the agreements reached, primarily on BRICS expansion, which undoubtedly would promote the growth of its influence in international affairs,” it said.

“It was agreed to closely collaborate in the context of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship, which starts on January 1, 2024.

The parties also exchanged views on the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi,” it said.

Kremlin said the discussion also touched on “current issues of Russian-Indian relations, which are developing progressively in the spirit of a specially privileged strategic partnership”.

“Putin and Modi stated that the two countries’ trade and economic cooperation showed positive dynamics and expressed their shared intention to consistently implement largescale energy projects and work together to expand the international transport and logistics infrastructure,” it said.

Last week, the Kremlin had announced that Putin would not attend the G20 Summit in person, saying he has a “busy schedule” and the main focus is still the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Modi met Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Samarkand last year, where he told him that “this is not the era of war”.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin did not attend the G20 Summit in Bali last November.