Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive in New Delhi in the first week of December on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday.
According to the MEA’s statement, Putin will attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit and hold talks with PM Modi during his two-day visit.
“The upcoming state visit will allow both sides to review and assess the progress in historically deep bilateral relations to outline a vision for the future partnership, including the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’”, the statement added.
This will be Putin’s first state visit to India since 2021, although he met with PM Modi during the SCO summit held in September in China.
Kremlin described the upcoming tour as an “important moment” for both countries, saying: “the visit is of great importance, providing an opportunity to discuss the extensive nature and agenda of the Indo-Russian relations, with specificity on political, trade, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, and humanitarian spheres, as well as to consider contemporary international and regional issues.”
“The concerning issue to both will be at the heart of the negotiations with the Indian delegation led by PM Modi himself,” the statement from Kremlin further stated.
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Shortly after the announcement, the MEA said preparations for the annual summit are already underway, including a banquet to be hosted in honour of the Russian leader by India’s President, Draupadi Murmu.
Official MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, while responding to questions during the weekly briefing on Thursday, had confirmed that the dates for the visit will be announced soon, and noted that the two nations were working to improve on the decades-long relationship.
Besides, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar had met Putin in Moscow on Monday and conveyed greetings from PM Modi, Jaiswal said.
Following their meeting, EAM Jaishankar had written in a post on X: “Honoured to call on President Putin of Russia in Moscow today. Conveyed greetings of Prime Minister @narendramodi.”
Previously, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had hinted at Putin’s impending visit, saying it’s planned for “next month”.
The statement was also confirmed by the Russian Embassy in India on November 18.
Putin’s India visit comes at a time when India has significantly lowered crude oil imports from Russia following sanctions imposed by the United States on multiple Indian companies and individuals for buying Russian oil.
The arrival of Putin to New Delhi and his subsequent meeting with Prime Minister Modi will be keenly observed in Washington and the European Union, since a Ukraine ceasefire has not yet materialised despite repeated attempts.
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