Moscow, December 4 — Russian President Vladimir Putin has departed for a two-day state visit to India, arriving in New Delhi this evening for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, Russian news agency TASS reported.
The visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is Putin’s first trip to India since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022; his previous visit was in December 2021. After arrival, Modi will host a private dinner for the Russian leader.
The two governments plan extensive talks covering trade and the economy, science and technology, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation, alongside discussions of regional and international issues. Officials say around ten intergovernmental documents and more than 15 commercial and non-commercial agreements and memorandums are expected to be signed during the visit.
On December 5, Putin will receive a ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and will visit Raj Ghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. The leaders will hold formal talks in a restricted format and then with their full delegations at Hyderabad House. Several agreements are anticipated in areas including trade, economic cooperation, agriculture and academic exchange.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the visit will allow the two countries to review bilateral progress, set a vision for deepening their “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” and exchange views on regional and global matters of mutual concern. Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and co-chair of the India-Russia intergovernmental commission, Denis Manturov, described the trip as a return to the tradition of annual high-level summits and a significant step toward strengthening the strategic partnership.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated defence issues could feature prominently. He said the possible sale of additional S-400 long-range air-defence systems may be discussed and raised the prospect of India acquiring the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter. Peskov also highlighted cooperation on the BrahMos missile programme—covering production, purchases and technology exchange—and said a nuclear energy agreement was also possible.
Putin and Modi last met in person on September 1 at the SCO Summit in Tianjin. This visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the India-Russia strategic partnership, established in October 2000 and elevated to a “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” in December 2010. Intensifying trade remains a priority: bilateral trade reached a record $68.7 billion in 2024–25, with a joint target to raise it to $100 billion by 2030.
Putin’s delegation includes senior ministers and officials — among them Andrey Belousov, representatives of the Federal Customs Service and Rosfinmonitoring, Dmitry Shugayev from the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation — as well as CEOs of major state firms including Roscosmos, Rosatom and VEB.RF. Business leaders attending include heads of Rosneft, Sberbank, Basic Element, Rusal, VTB Bank, the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers, Roskhim and Transmashholding.
This report is based on information from a syndicated feed and official Russian statements; the publisher has reproduced the material as received and does not assume responsibility for independent verification.
