MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India on December 4–5 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian state news agencies reported on Friday, citing the Kremlin.
“This is an important visit, which allows us to comprehensively discuss the entire vast agenda of highly privileged strategic partnership relations between Russia and India — in the political, trade, economic, scientific, technological, cultural and humanitarian fields — and to address current global and regional matters,” the Kremlin said. These issues will be taken up during negotiations with the Indian delegation led by Modi, it added.
Putin is also scheduled to hold a separate meeting with Indian President Droupadi Murmu.
The Kremlin press service said the two sides plan to issue a joint statement and sign a series of bilateral interagency and commercial agreements at the conclusion of the talks.
Talks are expected to centre on defence cooperation, with both sides reviewing the broader framework of military ties and ongoing joint projects. India is also likely to seek clarity on the delayed delivery of the remaining S-400 air defence systems and may explore the possibility of ordering additional units. Trade and investment will form another major pillar of the discussions, as the two governments look to expand economic cooperation and build on the intensive preparatory work carried out ahead of the visit.
While Putin’s visit underscores the resilience of the India–Russia strategic partnership, it also exposes areas of strain and shifting geopolitical realities. India remains dependent on Russian defence systems — notably the delayed S-400 deliveries — yet New Delhi is increasingly uncomfortable with Moscow’s deepening alignment with Beijing, which complicates its own regional security concerns.
The meeting offers a chance to recalibrate this imbalance, but meaningful progress may be limited by Russia’s wartime priorities, Western sanctions, and India’s efforts to diversify defence imports away from Moscow. Trade expansion will be discussed, but without structural reforms or financial mechanisms insulated from sanctions pressure, the partnership risks stagnating despite the symbolic warmth of the visit.
