PM Modi may meet Xi Jinping in near future: Kremlin

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi could meet Chinese President Xi Jinping along with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the “near future”, a Kremlin official has suggested.

The summit of Russia, India and China (RIC) could be held in the near future, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov was quoted by Russian news agency Tass as saying. Significantly, his observations came less than a fortnight after Putin made a rare overseas trip during the pandemic to hold consultations with PM Modi.

Supports staging of winter olympics

• The summit of Russia, India and China can be held in near future, Russian presidential aide was quoted as saying.
• MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, however, said: “I am not in a position to comment on media reports.”
• Asked if India could join the boycott of the Winter Olympics, Bagchi said the Nov 26 joint statement had supported the staging of the games.

However, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said he had “nothing to share”, while noting that the Foreign Ministers of the three countries had last met on November 26.

“I am not in a position to comment on media reports,” he said at the media briefing here on Thursday.

Asked if India could join the political boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Bagchi pointed out that the November 26 joint statement had supported the staging of the games. “The topic of cooperation in the Russia-India-China format was addressed,” the Kremlin’s spokesperson said while speaking on the virtual meeting between Putin and Xi. The leaders “agreed to continue exchanging opinions in this regard and make endeavours to hold the next summit within the RIC framework in the near future,” Ushakov had added.

“Putin informed Xi Jinping about the visit to New Delhi on December 6 in this context,” he said.

The last meeting of the three leaders under the RIC format was in June 2019 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka.