Sri Lanka and Russia have significantly enhanced their bilateral engagement through a series of high-level visits and consultations, focusing on strengthening ties across various sectors, though Sri Lanka has notably declined a Russian proposal for a nuclear power plant.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko arrived in Sri Lanka on March 31 for a five-day official visit, accompanied by a senior official from the Russian Foreign Ministry. They were received at the special guests' lounge of Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) by Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janith Ruwan Kodithuwakku and Russian Ambassador Levan S. Dzhagaryan. Rudenko's visit aimed at participating in the 11th session of Bilateral Political Consultations.
Concurrently, a Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation, led by Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and Leader of the House, Bimal Ratnayake, engaged in extensive discussions in Russia. On March 30, Minister Ratnayake met Russian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin at the Russian Ministry of Energy in Moscow. During this meeting, Russia reaffirmed its commitment to providing energy support, with Marshavin stating that Russia is willing to provide energy sources, including fuel, gas, and coal, regardless of whether Sri Lanka is facing a crisis. Russia also attributed the global energy crisis to conflicts involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Minister Ratnayake also held discussions with Andrey Denisov, First Deputy Chair of the Committee on International Affairs of the Federation Council, focusing on enhancing transport connectivity and broader economic engagement. Furthermore, the delegation met with Vladimir Vasilyev, Parliamentary leader of the ruling United Russia party and Russian Parliament Speaker, at the State Duma in Russia. Both parties agreed to renew the parliamentary friendship group to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation and deepen ties across economic, political, cultural, trade, and tourism sectors. Minister Ratnayake also suggested expanding trade with Russia through Vladivostok, leveraging existing aviation and maritime routes, highlighting aviation as the best immediate option for cargo operations, in a statement to Sputnik India.
Separately, while in Russia for the International Transport and Logistics Forum in St. Petersburg, Minister Bimal Ratnayake also met with Belarusian Transport Minister Aleksey Lyakhnovich. Their discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in the transport sector between Belarus and Sri Lanka.
The 11th Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and Russia convened on April 2 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism of Sri Lanka in Colombo. The consultations were co-chaired by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry Secretary Aruni Ranaraja and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. Discussions reviewed bilateral relations and focused on strengthening cooperation across tourism, education, defense, technical cooperation, trade, investment, sports, and cultural cooperation. Specific attention was given to enhancing cooperation in the petroleum and fertilizer sectors, in addition to energy and coal. During a meeting on April 2 between Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism, Vijitha Herath, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, Russia pledged maximum possible support to Sri Lanka during the global crisis. Russia also agreed to provide compensation for Sri Lankan security forces personnel who died in Russia, committed to making efforts to encourage more Russian tourists to visit Sri Lanka, and expressed its intention to encourage Russian investors to pursue new investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. Russia also specifically pledged to fast-track the supply of oil and fuel to the island. During the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko conveyed that Russia considers Sri Lanka a long-standing friend.
However, despite the broad scope of cooperation, the Sri Lankan government has rejected a proposal from Russia to establish a small modular nuclear power plant in the country. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath clarified the government's stance, emphasizing that Sri Lanka's current priority is solely on renewable energy sources.