Talks With PM Modi, State Dinner: A Look At Putin's Action-Packed Day In Delhi

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in India on a state visit aimed at bolstering bilateral and economic ties between New Delhi and Moscow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Russian leader at the airport in New Delhi, giving a hug and a tight handshake with the gusto of an old friend. On day two of his trip on Friday, Putin is scheduled to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan for a guard of honour and a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu. 

He is then, like all visiting leaders, set to travel to Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, to pay his respects. Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi and President Putin will meet at Hyderabad House for the 23rd India-Russia Summit and discuss deepening economic cooperation, mainly in defence, energy and the mobility of skilled labour. This will be followed by a joint press statement on agreements and shared agenda.

After that, both leaders are scheduled to meet with business leaders. Putin will also attend a banquet hosted in his honour by President Murmu before his departure in the evening. 

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The Russian leader is joined by his defence minister, Andrei Belousov, and a wide-ranging delegation from business and industry, including top executives of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and reportedly the heads of sanctioned oil firms Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.

Before Putin arrived in India, the Kremlin said the trip was "of great importance, providing an opportunity to comprehensively discuss the extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations as a particularly privileged strategic partnership".

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Timing Of Putin's India Visit

The timing of Putin's visit to India is significant, as it marks 25 years of India-Russia strategic partnership, which began during Putin's first year in office as president. Since 2000, both nations have conducted annual summits, with Indian leaders visiting Moscow one year and the Russian president returning to New Delhi the following year.

That tradition was, however, broken in 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That year, PM Modi was supposed to visit Russia for the summit, but the summit was postponed.

The following year, Putin skipped the G20 summit in New Delhi, largely due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against him related to the Ukraine war. 

Though India is not a member of the ICC, sharing the stage with the Russian President at the conclave was likely to make Western members of the G20 uncomfortable.

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Finally, in 2024, the annual summit resumed, with PM Modi visiting Russia, with Putin returning the gesture four years later.

Putin is in India at a time when New Delhi is engaged in talks with the US for a trade deal to cut punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on its goods over India's Russian oil purchases.

Moscow has been India's top arms supplier for decades and has said that it wants to import more Indian goods in an effort to grow trade to $100 billion by 2030, which so far has been skewed in its favour due to New Delhi's energy imports.

Since European countries cut back their reliance on Russian energy after Russia invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago, India has ramped up its purchases of discounted Russian crude.

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What's On the PM Modi-Putin Meeting Agenda?

Multiple agreements were expected on Friday in shipping, health care, fertilisers, connectivity and labour mobility – which would give impetus to both relations and trade. Russia continues to be India's biggest supplier of military hardware, despite New Delhi trying to diversify its purchases from other countries over the past few years.

India is expected to push Russia for faster delivery of two further S-400 surface-to-air missile systems after receiving three under a 2018 deal worth about $5.4 billion. The delay has been tied to supply chain disruptions linked to the war in Ukraine.

Indian authorities are also exploring the possibility of acquiring additional S-400 units or an upgraded variant, though no contract or announcement is expected during Putin's visit.

Indian defence planners say the S-400 proved effective during a brief military standoff with Pakistan in May.

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Talks are also expected on upgrading India's Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets and accelerating deliveries of critical military hardware, as well as improving coordination on joint exercises and disaster relief.

Moscow is keen on selling its stealth fighter jet Su-57 to India, but New Delhi has kept its options open to other foreign suppliers as well.

Washington has been critical of India buying discounted Russian oil, which it says helps finance Moscow's war machine. In August, US President Donald Trump imposed additional 25 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, raising the total duties to 50 per cent in retaliation. India has, however, defended its imports as essential for meeting the growing energy needs of its 1.4 billion people. The matter is expected to come up for detailed discussion.