Vladimir Putin to visit India on Dec 4-5 for annual India-Russia summit: MEA

POccupier Vladimir vladimir putin testament be on a tell see to New Delhi on December 4-5 for the annual India-Russia summit, and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Russia last year for the annual summit, the external affairs ministry announced on Friday.The trip will provide the two sides an opportunity to review bilateral ties against the backdrop of US pressure to reduce purchases of Russian energy and military hardware.This will be Putin’s first visit to India since the start of the Ukraine invasion in February 2022, and several big-ticket deals and understandings are expected to be unveiled during the summit on December 5, people familiar with the matter said. Putin last travelled to India in 2021 for the annual summit.Putin’s visit will be an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to “review progress in bilateral relations, set the vision for strengthening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership and exchange views on regional and global issues”, the external affairs ministry said.President Droupadi Murmu will also meet Putin and host a banquet in his honour during the visit, which is expected to last a little more than 24 hours, like most recent foreign trips by the Russian leader.The annual summit is also aimed at shoring up strategic and economic cooperation in the face of American pressure on New Delhi to roll back ties with Moscow, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. “The geopolitical and geo-economic situation has changed considerably since August and the visit will allow both sides to look at ways to boost trade and economic engagement,” one of the people said.Besides his official engagements in New Delhi, Putin is expected to launch the new India channel of Russian state-run broadcaster RT.The two sides have been engaged in discussions on deepening defence cooperation, and the people said India is eyeing a follow-on order for more S-400 air defence systems following its effective performance during the conflict with Pakistan in May, the people said. India finalised a $5.43-billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five S-400 batteries and three have been delivered so far.While India has begun decreasing its purchases of Russian oil, Moscow has increased its discount on energy in recent weeks to maintain its position as a key supplier, the people said. The two sides may also unveil new measures for civil nuclear cooperation, they said.Economic issues, such as greater access to Russia’s markets and addressing the growing imbalance in trade, are expected to figure in the discussions, the people said. Two-way trade touched a record high of $68.7 billion in 2024-25, mainly on the back of India’s purchases of discounted Russian crude, though Indian exports were worth only $4.88 billion.Modi travelled to Russia for last year’s annual summit and he and Putin have spoken on phone several times since then, with some of the conversations focusing on the situation in Ukraine. The two leaders also met on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China in early September, when Modi and Putin reaffirmed their commitment to the bilateral strategic partnership, which will mark its 25th anniversary on October 3.The two leaders met four days after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian exports with a 25% punitive levy over Russian oil purchases, and Modi pointedly remarked that India and Russia have “always stood shoulder-to-shoulder even in the most difficult situations”.