Heavyweight Indian Politician Shashi Tharoor Engages Putin's Top Officials in Moscow
Prominent Indian lawmaker Shashi Tharoor held key discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and senior Russian lawmakers on Tuesday.
These transpired during the Primakov Readings, which is a leading international forum on global security and foreign policy, held annually in Moscow.
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On the sidelines of the forum, Tharoor, who chairs India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and is a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, met Lavrov for discussions on the current state of international affairs.
A former Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations and one of India’s most prominent foreign policy voices, Tharoor’s engagement in Moscow shows New Delhi’s ongoing outreach to major global players amid rising geopolitical shifts.
Separately, Tharoor also met with Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Russian State Duma’s International Affairs Committee. The two lawmakers discussed a range of global issues, including conflicts in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis, and recent tensions in South Asia.
Imperial Receipts: @ShashiTharoor Announces Brand New Show for RT
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) June 24, 2025
The 10-part series based on Dr Tharoor’s book will cover British colonialism, its impact, the way it behaved, unfolded and ended.
Host Rick Sanchez quipped: "I love the title, Imperial Receipts… it’s time to… pic.twitter.com/1xF3H96rzc
Slutsky proposed expanding cooperation within BRICS through deeper parliamentary engagement.
“India is a key BRICS member. It is essential to begin serious discussions on developing a parliamentary dimension within BRICS. This is already being advanced in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, where a ‘BRICS Plus’ group has been created,” Slutsky noted.
The discussions underline India’s balancing act as it maintains strong ties with Russia, a key strategic partner.
The Primakov Readings, established in 2015 and named after prominent Russian statesman Yevgeny Primakov, has grown into a prominent global platform for dialogue on international relations, global security, and emerging economic models.
The forum brings together scholars, diplomats, and policymakers from across the world. It is chaired by Yury Ushakov, Aide to the Russian President, with Alexander Dynkin and Feodor Voitolovsky of the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations playing key roles in organizing the event.
Tharoor attended the forum at the invitation of Russia Today, which is a Russian state-controlled international news television network funded by the Russian government.