Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin his two-day visit to India on Thursday. Shortly after his arrival in New Delhi, he will be invited to a special dinner by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, which is set for this Friday, will concentrate on enhancing defense cooperation in addition to talks on economic and energy partnerships. This comes at a time when the US has imposed punishing sanctions on New Delhi.
Ahead of the visit, Moscow has also cleared a significant defence pact with India, suggesting increased vigor in bilateral military cooperation.
Putin is due to land in New Delhi on Thursday evening, after which PM Modi will host him for a private dinner, mimicking the gesture the Russian President made when he hosted PM Modi during the latter’s visit to Moscow last year.
This marks Putin’s first trip to India since the invasion of Ukraine. He will receive a ceremonial welcome on Friday prior to the start of formal negotiations.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, had previously hinted that the two parties would talk about supplying India with Russian Su-57 fighter jets.
The visit is anticipated to yield various agreements, including one to expedite the flow of Indian workers to Russia. The proposed free trade deal between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, which New Delhi has been pushing to improve economic and strategic ties, may also be discussed by the two administrations.
President Droupadi Murmu will hold a state banquet for President Putin after the talks with PM Modi. Additionally, he will introduce Russia’s state-run broadcaster RT’s new India channel, indicating an increase in media outreach and soft-power involvement.
In a statement issued on November 28, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The forthcoming State Visit will provide 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 of mutual interest.”
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