Russian President Vladimir Putin, who landed in India late Thursday evening for a two-day State visit, was accorded a ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday in a closely-watched summit by the world.
Here for the 23rd India-Russia summit, Putin would be engaged in talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on defence and strategic ties between the two countries.
President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi warmly welcomed the Russian president at the forecourt of the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan on a sunny morning, a day after the prime minister hosted the Russian leader for a private dinner.
Putin also visited Raj Ghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the memorial.
After landing in New Delhi’s Palam airport at around 7 pm on Thursday evening, the Russian president was received personally by PM Modi with a warm hug, underscoring the long-standing close ties between the two nations, after which the two leaders proceeded to the prime minister’s residence in a white SUV.
This is Putin’s first India visit in four years, and also his first trip to the country since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
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The conversation between Putin and PM Modi over a private dinner is known to have set the tone for the crucial summit talks that are expected focus on boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors.
The visit assumes greater significance since US stepped-up pressure on Russia’s allies, including India, to stop the purchase of Russian crude in a bid to cripple Moscow’s economy and deter it from waging the war in Ukraine.
India-US relations have since taken a rapid downturn, especially after US President Donald Trump slapped a high tariff of 50 per cent on Indian goods as a punitive measure for buying Russian oil. India has since majorly scaled down its Russian crude purchases, declining energy supplies from Moscow by as much as 38 per cent.
Following the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides are expected to ink a plethora of agreements, including one on facilitating the movement of Indian workers to Russia, and another on logistical support under a broader framework of defence cooperation.
It is learnt that under the trade basket, Indian exports to Russia are expected to significantly increase in areas of pharma, agriculture, food products and consumer goods, especially over New Delhi’s concerns of a ballooning trade deficit in favour of Russia.
India’s annual procurement of goods and services from Russia amounts to around USD 65 billion, while Russia’s imports from India stand at around USD 5 billion.
Officials said India is also looking at boosting cooperation in the fertiliser sector since China clamped down fertiliser exports. Russia supplies three to four million tonnes of fertilisers to India annually.
The Indian and Russian sides are also likely to discuss New Delhi’s proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union.
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