US Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Russia must pull back its troops from the Ukrainian border to deescalate the tension following Crimea's takeover by Moscow.
External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing stressed the need for strengthening cooperation.
Russia and the US began second round of negotiations on securing Syria's chemical arsenal, hoping the high-stakes talks would lead to broader peace efforts, even as Damascus submitted application to UN for joining the chemical weapons convention.
'No matter what Modi may boast about 'new India', the geopolitical reality is that India's stature diminishes when it needs a small country like Saudi Arabia under an autocratic ruler to help out with what is arguably one of the most critical templates of its diplomacy,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Putin is looking beyond the current regime in Kyiv. Of course, if the Western military assistance to Kyiv continues in any form, Washington knows that Russia will regard it as a hostile act and there will be severe consequences, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Beijing's growing assertiveness as kingmaker in Kabul has suffered a setback with Washington quietly moving in, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India on Monday did some plain-speaking with China over its blocking of the Indian bid to get JeM chief Masood Azhar banned by the UN and warned the global community of "serious consequences" if it continues to adopt "double standards" in dealing with terrorism.
The move came after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov branded the action by the French police "an absolutely unacceptable incident".
During a meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers in New York on the sidelines of the 67th session of the General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "categorically stated that he supported India's permanent membership of the Security Council," Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said.
'If the Russian forces do capture Kyiv and set up some sort of provisional government, they might run into an insurgency, for which the geography is just right, it could prove costly for them.' 'In that event, the whole exercise could turn out to be counter-productive -- and costly in both foreign policy and domestic terms.'
The foreign ministers of India, Russia and China on Friday held discussions on key regional and international issues, including situation in Iran, North Korean rocket launch and terrorism during a trilateral meet in Moscow.
European governments have stepped up diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine, encouraged by Russian President Vladimir Putin's assurance that his country has no intention to annexe the Crimean peninsula or to wage a war against its neighbour.
In his address to RIC Foreign Ministers, Wang said the three countries should 'correctly handle and properly deal with sensitive factors in bilateral relations and safeguard the overall interests of mutual relation', without directly referring to the current round of India-China military tensions along the Line of Actual Control, (LAC).
The BRICS stressed on resolution of conflicts in a declaration issued after a virtual meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the grouping. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to sign a number of key bilateral pacts including in the field civil nuclear energy during his visit here next month.
Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found collapsed after being poisoned last week. Both remain in a serious condition along with a police officer who came in contact with the same substance.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who held talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on a range of issues including the regional situation, said his country appreciated efforts being made by India and Pakistan to normalise bilateral ties.
The sources said the situation in eastern Ladakh remained 'tense' and that around 30-40 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are holding up at a position close to an Indian post in the Rezang-La ridgeline in eastern Ladakh.
'No prime minister of India is averse to normalise relations with Pakistan, if it is possible to do so without altering our fundamental position on Jammu and Kashmir,' notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Swaraj on Saturday left for a two-nation three-day visit to Iran and Russia.
The Taliban have the ISIS in its crosshairs. The Taliban has shown the skill to assimilate extremist elements if they are reconcilable as well as the ruthlessness to eliminate troublemakers, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar
Russia hinted that militants trained at Pakistan-Afghanistan border could be behind the twin blasts at metro stations here that killed 39 people and wounded 60 others.
New Delhi should resist any temptation to act as spoiler and instead should cooperate with its SCO partners in reaching a regional consensus behind the formation of an interim government in Kabul, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Russia and the United States have made major 'progress' on a new deal to slash the nuclear arsenals during the cold war, replacing Soviet-era START-1 treaty that ended December last, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.
The air strike was launched after the Russian forces in Syria received intelligence that a meeting of Islamic State leaders was being planned, the defence ministry said.
Locked in a fierce battle with the Georgian troops, Russian security forces on Saturday bombarded key military bases in the breakaway South Ossetia province for the second straight day as Moscow claimed that 1,500 people were killed in fighting in the sensitive region.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Harbin early on Wednesday for the third standalone meeting of the foreign ministers of India-Russia-China scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
The crucial nuclear deal on the construction of four more additional reactors for the nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu was due to be signed in Moscow in November 2007 during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Moscow visit.
Speaking to media persons aboard Air India 001, conveying Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to Moscow, Menon said, "This is one relationship without any wrinkles or difficulties." The foreign secretary was reacting to an inquiry whether Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's refusal to meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on the latter's visit to Moscow last month.
Syria has agreed with the Russian proposal to place its chemical weapons stocks under international control to "uproot US aggression", hours after President Barack Obama said he would "absolutely" put on hold any military strike on the country if it does so.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, more than a week after his visit to Moscow where the two could not meet, triggering reports of a rebuff to the Indian leader. Lavrov requested Mukherjee for a briefing on the latest state of the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation deal and he was informed about it.
"Today, we can assert with confidence that they not only withstood (the test), but convincingly proved that they (bilateral ties) continue to remain one of the most important factors of the world politics," he said.
First look of Pranab Mukherjee with the NATO secretary general.
In their first ever 'standalone' trilateral meeting, foreign ministers of India, Russia and China will hold talks in Russia's far-eastern port city of Vladivostok next week on a whole spectrum of issues.
India, Russia for resolving Iran issue within IAEA framework
"I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job," Trump told Lavrov, according to a media report.
It was not clear how many tanks would be produced for Pakistan.
