New Delhi, December 5 — Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin welcomed the warming ties between Moscow and New Delhi on Friday, calling India a “friendly country” and an important partner for future cooperation as President Vladimir Putin began a two-day state visit. Karjakin said he hopes the relationship will continue to grow and that collaborations — possibly including chess projects — will increase between the two nations.
Highlighting India’s rapid emergence as a chess powerhouse, Karjakin praised the strength of both countries’ training systems and the surge of young talent in India. He singled out rising stars such as Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa and D. Gukesh’s peers including Erigaisi for raising the level of competition, warning that their generation will make it tougher for Russian players and that one of them could become the next world champion. Despite the challenge to Russia, Karjakin congratulated India on producing strong new grandmasters.
Putin’s visit, his first to India in four years, runs through December 5 and includes the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Analysts say the visit is likely to deepen cooperation across defence, trade, science and technology, and cultural and humanitarian ties.
Former diplomat Veena Sikri pointed to defence cooperation, technology transfer and trade as central issues, citing past joint projects such as Operation Sindoor, the BrahMos missile and the S-400 air-defence system. She noted that Putin has expressed willingness to consider technology transfer — a matter India will examine closely — and stressed the importance of expanding bilateral trade and boosting Indian exports to Russia.
