India steps up diplomacy with Russia, China and Gulf trade bloc

25-Aug-2026

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India on August 24 pushed ahead with a series of diplomatic and trade engagements, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arriving in Beijing for boundary talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Indian officials reviewing the proposed free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, meanwhile, sought greater Japanese investment in India and said the country was negotiating with at least eight to nine more groups of countries and individual nations. 

In Moscow, Jaishankar called on Putin, and the two sides discussed bilateral ties and global developments.

In Beijing, Doval arrived for a two-day visit to take part in the Special Representatives talks on the India-China boundary question with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who is also China's foreign minister.

On the trade front, India reviewed negotiations on a free trade agreement with the GCC after India's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Vipul, held wide-ranging talks with the six-nation bloc's secretary general, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, in Riyadh.