India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and other senior officials in Moscow on 20 August, stressing the need to lift tariff and non-tariff barriers, improve connectivity projects and widen energy cooperation. Jaishankar said New Delhi and Moscow had agreed on terms of reference for negotiating a trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union and confirmed that the two governments remain “personally committed” to their strategic partnership. Russian diplomats said bilateral trade is increasingly bypassing the US dollar. Roman Babushkin, Russia’s chargé d’affaires in New Delhi, told reporters that about 90 % of current commerce is now settled in rupees and roubles, and Deputy Trade Representative Evgeniy Griva forecast overall trade would continue to expand by roughly 10 % a year. Moscow has also told Indian exporters it can serve as an alternative market if US tariffs block access to the United States. Energy featured prominently. Russian officials said India is receiving a roughly 5 % price concession on Russian crude shipments and disclosed talks on deploying small modular nuclear reactors in the South Asian nation. Jaishankar added that both sides want to diversify trade to ease India’s widening deficit with Russia. The visit sets the stage for a packed diplomatic calendar. Jaishankar said the annual India–Russia summit will be held in New Delhi before year-end, with the Kremlin confirming President Vladimir Putin plans to attend. Both leaders are also expected at September’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in China, where Russian officials say a trilateral session with Chinese President Xi Jinping is under consideration.