India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar arrived in Moscow on August 19, 2025, for a three-day official visit to co-chair the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). The visit aims to deepen the strategic partnership between India and Russia amid rising US tariff tensions. Russian officials, including Chargé d'Affaires Roman Babushkin, expressed openness to Indian goods in the Russian market as an alternative amid US tariffs, emphasizing the violation of WTO's Most Favored Nation rules by trade protectionism. Jaishankar highlighted the growth of bilateral trade in goods from $13 billion in 2021 to $68 billion in 2024-25 but noted a growing trade imbalance, with the deficit increasing from $6.6 billion to $58.9 billion, calling for urgent measures to address it. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a strategic partnership with plans to increase annual trade by about 50% over the next five years to reach $100 billion, including efforts to reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Jaishankar met with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, discussing political relations, bilateral ties, and global issues such as developments in Ukraine, West Asia, the Middle East, and Afghanistan. Lavrov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India by the end of the year, with preparations underway for a summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin. The two sides also signed terms of reference to commence negotiations on a free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union. Jaishankar emphasized India's balanced approach to energy imports, stating that China is the largest purchaser of Russian oil, and the European Union leads in LNG purchases, while India is not the country with the biggest trade surge with Russia. The visit underscores India and Russia's efforts to consolidate their longstanding relationship and expand economic cooperation in a multipolar world order, with active roles for organizations like SCO, BRICS, and G20.