External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on February 20, 2025, during the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Johannesburg. Jaishankar conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's warm greetings and reaffirmed India's support for South Africa's G20 priorities, marking a significant diplomatic engagement as South Africa hosts the G20 for the first time on the African continent.

In a post on X, Jaishankar expressed his honour in meeting President Ramaphosa and emphasised India's commitment to supporting South Africa's agenda during its G20 presidency. Alongside this meeting, Jaishankar also interacted with various world leaders, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, discussing global issues and enhancing bilateral relations.

On Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Johannesburg to discuss the bilateral cooperation between India and Russia and the Ukraine conflict. The meeting occurred on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

During their meeting, Jaishankar and Lavrov reviewed the progress of India-Russia bilateral cooperation and discussed the Ukraine conflict, including Lavrov’s recent meeting in Riyadh. Jaishankar stated in a post on X, "Glad to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia this evening in Johannesburg. Reviewed the continued progress of India-Russia bilateral cooperation".

He further added that they "Discussed recent developments pertaining to the Ukraine conflict, including his Riyadh meeting. Agreed to remain in touch". The Russian Foreign Ministry also acknowledged the meeting on X.

The meeting between Jaishankar and Lavrov is significant, particularly in light of potential thawing of relations between the U.S. and Russia and a possible meeting between the presidents of the two countries to further peace in Ukraine. Improvement in US-Russia relations and potential easing of sanctions on Russia could lead to better India-Russia business ties.

ANI