Against the backdrop of the escalating Ukraine conflict and its global impact on prices and supply of fuel and fertilisers, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Moscow on November 8 and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Moreover, Jaishankar’s visit takes place at a time when Russia has claimed that Ukraine plans to use “dirty bombs” and threatened to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to meet this challenge. Also, the Indian embassy in Kyiv has advised all its citizens to leave the country immediately.
The two Ministers will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral ties besides international developments, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, reports from Moscow said.
It will be the first visit to Moscow by Jaishankar since the Russian military action began in Ukraine in February this year. Jaishankar and Lavrov had met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York in September.
Amid Russian claim of “dirty bomb”, Jaishankar discussed the issue with his UK counterpart James Cleverly on Tuesday. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held telephonic talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday and expressed concern over the likely use of “dirty bomb”.
Rajnath urged both the countries to defuse tension and cautioned against the use of nuclear or radiological weapons as it goes against the basic tenets of humanity. The “dirty bomb” is a radiological weapon that combines radioactive material with conventional explosives. Russia’s claim of “dirty bomb” was dismissed by Kyiv and the West as misinformation and a pretext for intensifying the war.
Shoigu had underlined the charge of the “dirty bomb” in his calls over the last weekend to his British, French, Turkish, Chinese, and US counterparts.
Responding to the Russian tactical nuclear threat, US President Joe Biden said any nuclear attack would be a “serious mistake”.
Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon, he said.