Lavrov says time is ripe to restart RIC cooperation, alleges NATO plotting to draw India into anti-China intrigues.
May 30, 2025: Moscow: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday said Moscow is keen to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral dialogue framework, which has been inactive since the 2020 Galwan crisis.
Speaking at an international conference in the Ural city of Perm, Lavrov said:
“I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the RIC troika’s work. This format has met over 20 times at ministerial level, covering areas from foreign policy to trade and finance.”
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Lavrov said India and China have made progress on easing border tensions and that “the time has come” to restart the RIC dialogue.
He also alleged that NATO was trying to “lure India into anti-China intrigues” and said Indian leaders “see this trend” as a provocation.
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The RIC format, first initiated by former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, has been on hold since 2020’s deadly border clash. However, a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during the BRICS Summit in Kazan last October signaled a potential thaw in ties.
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Tags:
Russia-India-China Trilateral, Sergey Lavrov, NATO, Eurasia security, India-China relations, RIC cooperation, Russia foreign policy