Putin to visit India later this month

 

 

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India is expected at the end of August, a leading news agency of the country reported on Thursday citing comments made by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval during his ongoing visit to Moscow. “We have now established very good relations, which we value very much, a strategic partnership between our countries. We interact at a high level... We were pleased to learn about President Putin’s visit to our country, scheduled for late August,” the Interfax news agency quoted NSA Doval as saying at a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday. Earlier, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov had confirmed that Putin is expected to visit India following an invitation from Prime Minister Modi. The visit is being planned as part of the ongoing commitment to annual meetings between the two leaders. “Our leaders have an agreement to meet once a year.

 

This time, it is our turn,” Ushakov had said during a press briefing. The last visit by the Russian President to India took place on December 6, 2021, during the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi. PM Modi, meanwhile, held two high-profile visits to Russia last year, attending the 22nd Russia-India Summit in July and later participated in the BRICS Summit held in Kazan in October. Citing that the political dialogue between India and Russia is “developing dynamically” and is facilitated by the fact that Moscow and New Delhi “have close or even coinciding views on the objectively emerging multipolar world order”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had also indicated that preparations are being made for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to India. “Relations between our countries have a long history.

 

It can be said that they have stood the test of time more than once. Today, Russia and India are developing equal cooperation based on sincere, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests,” Lavrov told the participants of the first international conference ‘Russia and India: Towards a New Agenda for Bilateral Relations’ which was also addressed by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar in March, this year. “It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of our leaders to this process. It is symbolic that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first bilateral foreign visit after his re-election last year to Russia. Now it is our turn. Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the invitation of the head of the Indian government.

 

The visit of the head of the Russian state to the Republic of India is being prepared,” he added. In June, the Russian President sent a message of condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad. “Please accept the deepest condolences over the tragic consequences of a passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad. Kindly convey the words of sincere sympathy and support to the families and near ones of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured in this catastrophe,” said Putin In May, President Putin also called Prime Minister Modi and “strongly condemned” the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, offering “full support” to India in its ongoing fight against terrorism. A statement issued by the Kremlin said that Putin expressed sincere condolences to PM Modi over the death of Indian citizens as a result of the barbaric terrorist attack on April 22 and emphasised the need for an “uncompromising fight” against terrorism in any form. “During the conversation, the strategic nature of Russian-Indian relations of a special privileged partnership was emphasised. These relations are not subject to external influence and continue to develop dynamically in all directions,” read the statement issued by the Russian President’s office. “The Indian leader reiterated his invitation to the Russian President to visit India for the traditional annual bilateral summit. The invitation was accepted with gratitude,” it added. PM Modi, who had also been invited by Putin for the participation in the Victory Day celebrations, however could not travel to Russia. The Russian President had earlier extended his condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. 

 

 

NATIONAL Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who is in Russia, said that President Vladimir Putin will visit India. He, however, added that the dates are being worked out. The visit by President Putin, his first since the Russia-Ukraine war, will be watched closely, especially by the United States. During his visit, he would hold high-stakes meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the agenda is not clear, there could be a possibility of the Russia-India-China Troika being revived. Although China would need to be part of this dialogue, many see the visit by President Putin as a start. The RIC, which was once seen as a counterweight to the Western world, has once again gained significance as under President Trump, all three countries are facing increased pressure, particularly on the economic front. Russia is, however, keen on reviving the RIC, which has been dormant for a long time.

 

In May this year, Moscow had said that the format should be revived to reposition itself at the heart of Eurasian diplomacy. However, one thing is clear for now, and that is India would not back down from the US threat of tariffs for buying Russian oil. This explains the visit by NSA Doval to Russia and President Putin’s visit to India sometime this month. The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs on several countries, including India, China, and trade partners linked to Russia. While Russia remains heavily sanctioned due to the war, China is facing trade restrictions. These are factors that have created a common ground for the RIC nations to fight back. Tariffs and secondary sanctions are largely a threat to all three countries, and hence the trio may stick together and revive the Troika. India has, in recent years, stayed away from the RIC due to border tensions with China. However, today, the fast-changing global situation may make both India and China think of this grouping.

 

India prefers to stay independent in its foreign policy and also avoids taking sides either with the US or China. Hence, the RIC fits well for India as it could work with Russia and China on specific issues. Moreover, for India, both Russia and China are important for its energy needs. The RIC would also give India a buffer against pressure from the West. The RIC format was initiated in the 1990s by former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov. He had said that this would be a perfect counterbalance to Western dominance. There have been 20 ministerial-level meetings. However, following the 2020 Galwan Valley incident, the format lost momentum.