Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has called off a planned visit to India this month, which was meant to prepare for President Vladimir Putin’s trip to the country, because of scheduling issues, people familiar with the matter said.
Lavrov was expected to be in New Delhi around June 16 for talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, the sources said on condition of anonymity. However, a belated invitation from Canada for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 Summit on June 17 has meant that Jaishankar is now expected to travel with the Prime Minister next week, the sources said.
No alternative dates have been firmed up for the visit by Lavrov, who would have been the first senior leader from a permanent member of the UN Security Council to travel to New Delhi after last month’s military clashes between India and Pakistan. A time frame for Putin’s visit for the annual India-Russia Summit too is yet to be finalised, though the trip looks unlikely in the next two months, the sources said.
