Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India in the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Indian journalists during an online meeting on Tuesday, noting that the dates for the trip would be announced soon.
While the exact timing has yet to be finalized, Putin’s upcoming trip to India will be his first since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in 2022. The Russian president last visited the South Asian country in December 2021, when he attended the India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to senior editors from major Indian media outlets via video link, Peskov said the Russian president’s reciprocal visit indicated close interaction between the leaders of the two countries, noting a high level of anticipation surrounding the trip.
“I hope soon we’ll work out the precise dates of his visit,” the presidential spokesman said. “You know that our leaders are exchanging visits, so of course, after two visits of Prime Minister Modi to Russia, now we have a visit of the president to India, so we’re looking forward to it.”
The leaders of India and Russia have already met twice this year. The announcement of Putin’s planned trip comes less than a month after the Indian prime minister traveled to Russia to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, where he formally invited the Russian president to visit his country. Modi also held face-to-face talks with Putin during a visit to Moscow in early July.
While the bilateral talks were focused mainly on economic cooperation between the two nations, the leaders had a “frank” conversation about the Ukraine conflict and the geopolitical situation globally.
Modi has repeatedly stated that a resolution to the crisis cannot be found “on the battlefield,” but should be reached through “dialogue and diplomacy.”
India has a longstanding relationship with Russia, most notably in the field of defense cooperation. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, New Delhi has abstained from condemning or sanctioning Moscow, despite pressure from the West.
India has also emerged as one of the key consumers of Russian oil since 2022, despite open criticism from New Delhi’s Western partners. Trade between the two countries has grown significantly over the past two years, reaching $65 billion in 2023. Moscow and New Delhi have set a target of reaching $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.