Preparations underway for Putin’s India visit – Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India next year is already being prepared, although exact dates have yet to be confirmed, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. During the recent BRICS summit in Kazan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Putin to India in 2025 for their next bilateral summit.
“I can confirm that the visit is indeed being planned,” Peskov stated, adding that the visit is highly anticipated in Moscow. The Russian president last visited India in December 2021, when he attended the India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi alongside Modi.
The two leaders have met twice in the past six months, both times in Russia. In July, Modi traveled to Moscow for a bilateral summit with Putin, during which they discussed expanding cooperation in various sectors and set a new trade target. They met again in October during the BRICS summit in Kazan, where Modi extended the invitation to the Russian leader.
Last week, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that the exact date of Putin’s visit would be finalized in early 2025.
“Our leaders have agreements to meet once a year. Now it is our turn to visit New Delhi or another location in India in 2025,” Ushakov told the media. He emphasized that the invitation from Modi had been received and will be accepted. “We will likely determine specific timing at the start of the year,” he added.
During their October meeting, Modi touted Russia’s role in promoting multilateralism, sustainable development, and global governance reforms. The prime minister’s office noted that the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation across various fields, including political, economic, defense, energy, and people-to-people ties.
They also discussed the situation in Ukraine, with Modi reiterating that “dialogue and diplomacy” were the way forward to resolve the conflict.
In November, Modi met with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov in New Delhi ahead of extended bilateral talks on trade, economic ties, energy, connectivity, and other issues. Modi welcomed the “sustained and joint efforts” being made by both sides to ensure implementation of the decisions he and Putin had made during their summit in Moscow.
India and Russia share a longstanding relationship, particularly in defense cooperation. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, India has refrained from condemning or sanctioning Russia despite Western pressure. Additionally, India has become a key consumer of Russian oil since 2022, with trade between the two nations reaching $65 billion in 2023. Moscow and New Delhi aim to cross the $100 billion mark by 2030.
