India and Russia on Wednesday discussed “contemporary regional and global issues” ahead of the high-level bilateral exchanges that would further strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries.

  India’s newly appointed Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar called on Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov here, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate telephonic conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Both the leaders have invited Modi to their respective countries.

“Ambassador @vkumar1969 paid courtesy call on Foreign Minister H E Mr Sergey Lavrov; they discussed contemporary regional and global issues and upcoming high-level bilateral exchanges which would further strengthen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” posted the official X handle of the Indian Mission in Moscow.

Earlier in the day, Kumar met and presented a copy of his Letter of Credence to Adrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and “discussed further steps to deepen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” a post from the Indian Embassy said.

 On April 12, Kumar was welcomed on his arrival here by the Department of State Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Indian embassy officials.

On March 20, Prime Minister Modi held separate conversations with Putin and Zelenskyy and asserted that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward for the resolution of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Modi spoke to Putin to congratulate him for winning a fifth term in office in mid-March elections and followed it up with a phone call to Zelenskyy to convey India’s “consistent support” for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict.

Both Putin and Zelenskyy have invited the prime minister to visit Russia and Ukraine respectively after the Lok Sabha elections, sources said, adding they see Modi as a “peacemaker”.