NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding summit talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today (Friday), aiming to boost bilateral trade and strengthen defence and energy cooperation. This marks Putin’s first visit to India in four years.
The visit comes at a time when India is also engaged in discussions with the United States over a trade deal to reduce punitive tariffs linked to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
Moscow has been India’s top arms supplier for decades and has expressed interest in importing more Indian goods to grow bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, according to Reuters.
“India faces a conundrum; by taking steps to strengthen ties with Moscow or Washington, New Delhi risks setting back ties with the other,” Michael Kugelman, senior fellow at Washington’s Atlantic Council, noted in Foreign Policy.
During his two-day visit, Putin and Modi are expected to discuss a wide range of topics including defence, seaborne oil, labour, and civil nuclear energy, with new agreements likely to be announced to showcase the resilience of their long-standing partnership.
The Indian Prime Minister welcomed Putin with a warm hug and handshake at the airport near New Delhi on Thursday, followed by a private dinner at his residence.
Accompanying Putin is a business and government delegation, including Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, who held preliminary talks with India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Belousov stated that the Russian defence industry is ready to support India in achieving self-reliance in defence production, according to India’s defence ministry.
Putin’s visit follows his talks with top US envoys on a potential peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, which did not result in a compromise.
India has maintained a neutral stance on the conflict, advocating peace through dialogue while criticizing what it perceives as unfair targeting of its ties with Moscow by Western nations.
