RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night kickstarted a nearly 27-hour visit to India to further shore up a nearly eight-decade bilateral partnership that remained in firm footing notwithstanding fractious geopolitical environment and tensions. In reflection of the importance India attached to the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke protocol and received Putin at New Delhi’s Palam airport with a hug and accorded him a warm welcome to India after a gap of four years.

 

The two leaders warmly hugged and greeted each other before leaving the airport together in the same vehicle. They also briefly watched and applauded a cultural performance as part of the welcome ceremony. The two leaders left the airport in the same car, nearly three months after they travelled together on a vehicle in the Chinese city of Tianjin following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

 

Lok Kalyan Marg was decked up with India-Russia flags and special lighting on Thursday evening as Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Vladimir Putin inside his official residence for a private dinner, shortly after the Russian President landed in New Delhi for a twoday State Visit. “Delighted to welcome my friend, President Putin to India. Looking forward to our interactions. India-Russia friendship is a time tested one that has greatly benefitted our people,” PM Modi posted on X along with his photographs with Putin.

 

In July 2024, Putin had also hosted PM Modi at his official residence in Moscow’s NovoOgaryovo. New Delhi has been lined with banners welcoming the Russian leader, marking the beginning of an engagement that carries significant diplomatic weight. The conversation between the two leaders is expected to set the tone for the 23rd India-Russia summit talks on Friday that is expected to produce a number of key outcomes.

 

Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit meeting between the two leaders that is expected to be closely watched by Western capitals. The Russian leader’s visit to New Delhi has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of rapid downturn in India-US relations. Following the summit, the two sides are expected to seal several agreements including in areas of trade.

 

On Friday morning, Putin will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan before the summit. Modi also hosted a working lunch for the Russian leader and his delegation at Hyderabad House, the venue for the summit. Putin will also visit Rajghat in the morning, according to people familiar with the matter. After the summit, Putin is set to launch the new India channel of Russian state-run broadcaster, following which he will attend a state banquet to be hosted in his honour by President Droupadi Murmu.

 

The Russian leader is expected to leave India around 9 PM on Friday. In the summit talks, New Delhi is expected to press for addressing the increasing trade deficit caused by India’s procurement of large volumes of Russian crude oil. The Russian President’s trip to India is taking place at a time when India-US relations are going through possibly the worst phase in the last two decades after Washington imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent levies for New Delhi’s procurement of Russian crude oil.

 

The impact of American sanctions on India’s procurement of Russian crude oil is likely to be discussed at the summit. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said New Delhi’s purchase of crude oil from Russia may decline for “a brief period” in view of Western sanctions, but, at the same time, he said Moscow is taking steps to enhance the supplies.

 

At the summit, Putin is expected to apprise Modi about the latest US efforts to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict. India has been consistently maintaining that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward to end the war. 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. The move comes amid concerns in New Delhi over 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