Russia reaffirms support for India’s bid for permanent UNSC seat 

Russia has reiterated its support for India’s bid to become a permanent member of a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The 13th meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter-terrorism and the sixth round of consultations on UN-related issues were held in Moscow on December 19-20. The discussions were co-chaired by Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the MEA and Sergey Vershinin, Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The consultations focused on regional and global developments, with both sides exchanging views on UNSC reform. Russia reaffirmed its support for India’s permanent membership in a restructured Security Council, alongside the current five permanent members — the US, UK, France, Russia and China — who hold veto power.

During the JWG meeting, both countries shared their experiences in combating terrorism, including cross-border terrorism and extremism. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in addressing radicalisation and terror financing. The talks also covered the use of new technologies by terrorist groups. Both sides pledged to bolster counter-terrorism efforts at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

Lal also met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin to discuss broader international and regional issues, particularly the ongoing Ukraine conflict.