Russian President Vladimir Putin is leaving for a two-day state visit to India, during which he will discuss bilateral relations and the international agenda with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Russian president's visit will begin with an informal conversation with Modi. The meeting will take place on December 4, privately and in a “one-on-one” format. According to Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to the Russian president on international affairs, this conversation will be one of the key highlights of the visit to India. Putin and Modi will be able to discuss the most sensitive and important issues of bilateral relations and the international agenda face to face.
The next day, December 5, official high-level Russian-Indian talks will be held in New Delhi. The entire agenda of Russian-Indian relations will be highlighted. Putin and Modi intend to discuss cooperation in the political, trade-economic, scientific-technological, cultural and humanitarian spheres. The leaders will also consider current international and regional issues. After the bilateral talks, the leaders plan to make statements to the media.
On Friday, Putin and Modi will participate in the plenary session of the Russian-Indian business forum. Issues related to the further development of trade and economic relations between the two countries will be discussed. On the same day, the Russian president will hold a separate meeting with Indian President Draupadi Murmu. Putin will also visit the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial on the second day of his visit to India.
Putin's talks in India are expected to result in a joint statement outlining "ambitious plans for future cooperation in the fields of politics, security, economics, finance, transport, energy, education and culture".
A program for the development of Russian-Indian economic cooperation until 2030 is planned to be approved.
The parties will also sign a number of bilateral interdepartmental and trade documents.
"They cover both traditional areas of cooperation - military-technical cooperation, peaceful nuclear energy, energy security and science - and new promising areas," the Russian embassy in India said. In addition, Russia and India are discussing an agreement on labor migration between the countries, the Kremlin said.
Putin and Modi maintain intensive bilateral contacts. This year alone, the leaders have held five telephone conversations. Their last meeting was in person in early September on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.
The relations between Russia and India are characterized by a privileged strategic partnership.
Putin regularly describes the relations between the two countries as friendly and trusting. Modi noted that “even in the most difficult circumstances, India and Russia have always moved forward, shoulder to shoulder“.
Putin stressed that Russia and India closely coordinate their efforts on the international stage, including within the framework of the UN, BRICS, G-20 and SCO. Moscow noted that the two countries share similar views on many global issues.
India welcomes efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict in Ukraine and hopes that all parties will approach this issue constructively, Prime Minister Modi said. Putin noted that all friends and partners of Russia, including India, support possible agreements between Russia and the United States on the Ukrainian settlement, which were discussed at the summit in Anchorage.
Russia remains an important energy supplier to India, the Kremlin said. Peskov noted that attempts are being made to "punish India for purchasing Russian oil in commercial transactions conducted in accordance with international trade rules".
The Kremlin stressed that "sovereign states have the right to choose their own trading partners" and that in matters of Russian oil supplies, the position of the buyer countries and the question of profit should be taken into account. At the same time, as Peskov noted, the issue of US tariffs remains a bilateral issue between the United States and India, and Moscow cannot and will not interfere in these relations.
On August 27, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, bringing the total rate to 50% - one of Washington's highest tariffs. The decision is related to a "sharp increase in purchases of Russian oil from Delhi" - according to US authorities, its share of the country's imports has grown from less than 1% to 42% after 2022 - as well as the failure of trade negotiations: five rounds have ended without a result, despite Indian authorities' expectations that tariffs would be limited to 15%.
India calls the US measures "unreasonable and unfair", but emphasizes its readiness for dialogue and further compromises. Indian officials also said the US criticism was "selective" as China and the European Union continue similar purchases of Russian oil.
The leaders of the two countries have set a goal of reaching $100 billion in trade turnover by 2030.
Negotiations for a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and India have recently begun, with the first round taking place in New Delhi in late November. According to Vladimir Ilychev, Russia's Deputy Minister of Economic Development, this agreement will provide preferential access for Russian economic operators to a market of 1.5 billion people. The removal of prohibitive tariffs on the Indian market, which can exceed 100%, will contribute to the diversification of Russian exports.
The topic of supplies of Russian S-400 systems to India is at the top of the agenda of bilateral relations and will be discussed during Putin's visit to New Delhi, the Kremlin said. The issue of Russian Su-57 fighter jets will certainly also be on the agenda, Peskov noted.
The Indian government plans to deepen cooperation with Russia in the field of defense.
The State Duma of Russia adopted a law on ratifying an intergovernmental agreement with India on the order of deployment of military units, warships and military aircraft. This agreement between the two governments was signed in Moscow on February 18, 2025.