External Affairs Minister S.
Jaishankar on Saturday (October 3, 2026) briefed a parliamentary consultative committee on India’s “multifaceted” engagement with Russia, highlighting shared ambitions to expand bilateral trade, investment, and energy cooperation.
Mr While discussing the trade and investment ties between the two countries. In a social media post, Mr. The External Affairs Minister further informed the panel that Russia has agreed to take around 70,000 Indian skilled workers this year, especially in the fields of construction and logistics, people familiar with the meeting said.
Jaishankar mentioned that there is a shared ambition to expand bilateral trade in a balanced manner, including through greater Indian exports to Russia in seven areas — auto, pharma, food, marine products, engineering goods, chemicals and textiles, they said. The External Affairs Minister, while highlighting India-Russia energy ties, said New Delhi’s priority is to safeguard the interests of Indian consumers, they said. Our approach is to maintain multiple sources of supply, he said, according to the people cited above. Jaishankar said he highlighted various aspects of our multifaceted engagement including in trade, investments, energy, connectivity, culture and people-to-people domains. The Minister said he also made a mention of India’s “active support to dialogue and diplomacy to end the Ukraine conflict. The people cited above said India’s recent efforts to contribute towards ending the Ukraine conflict and return of peace figured in the discussions.
He said that the government has engaged with Russian authorities, including at the highest levels, for early discharge of all such individuals, the people said.
