New Delhi, November 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India continues to raise with Moscow the issue of releasing Indian nationals still with the Russian side, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the matter was being taken up with Russia at various levels. He also confirmed that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting.
“The External Affairs Minister had several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 meeting. One of the meetings was with the Foreign Minister of Russia, during which he discussed the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East,” Jaiswal said at the weekly media briefing.
Jaishankar met Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta on Saturday. In a post on X, he said he had discussed the Ukraine conflict, the Gulf situation and multilateral issues with the Russian Foreign Minister.
Jaiswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also discussed the conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Delhi and earlier in Bishkek. Jaishankar had visited Moscow for talks with Lavrov and travelled to Kyiv in between.
Last month, the MEA said around 259 Indian citizens had been recruited into the Russian army. Of these, 139 had been discharged through the Indian government’s efforts and returned home, while discussions were underway with Moscow regarding the return of 69 others.
The ministry had also said it could not confirm how many had acquired Russian citizenship, as its records covered only Indian citizens.
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