Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at deepening defense ties, as New Delhi faces strong pressure from the United States to stop buying oil from Moscow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at the airport to personally greet the Russian leader, greeting him on the red carpet with a hug, before traveling together in the same car.
Putin, on his first visit to India since the Ukraine war, is accompanied by his Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and is expected to discuss possible deals on fighter jets and air defense systems.
In an interview with India todayPutin said he was “very happy” to meet “my friend” Modi.
“The scope of our cooperation with India is enormous,” he said in remarks translated by the broadcaster, citing ship and aircraft manufacturing, nuclear energy and space exploration.
The Indian Prime Minister said he was “delighted to welcome my friend President Putin to India.”
“We look forward to our interactions tonight and tomorrow,” Modi said in a post on X.
He will host Putin at a private dinner on Thursday night, followed by a summit meeting on Friday.
“The friendship between India and Russia has been time-tested and has benefited our people immensely,” Modi added, posting a photo of them from inside the car.
Trade relations are expected to feature prominently as India walks a diplomatic tightrope, relying on strategic imports of Russian oil while trying not to provoke US President Donald Trump during ongoing tariff negotiations.
Energy imports
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks to expand supplies of Russia’s advanced S-400 air defense systems had an “important place on the agenda.”
Indian media reports suggested that Moscow could also offer co-production of Russian Su-57 fighter jets.
India is one of the world’s largest arms importers and Russia has long been its main supplier.
But New Delhi has also sought alternative suppliers, in addition to boosting domestic production: Russia’s share of India’s arms imports fell from 76 percent in 2009-13 to 36 percent in 2019-23, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Putin’s visit comes after Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on most Indian goods in August, citing Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil, revenue that Washington says helps finance the war in Ukraine.
India, the world’s most populous nation, has become a major buyer of Russian oil, saving billions of dollars and providing Moscow with a much-needed export market after it was cut off from traditional buyers in Europe because of the war.
But Delhi has recently reduced crude oil imports under pressure from sanctions imposed on Russia’s top oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil.
The Indian government fears that any new energy or defense deal with Russia could irritate Trump, with possible ramifications for trade negotiations with Washington.
Peskov said Moscow wanted to “maintain and increase the volume of our bilateral business with India, without allowing anyone to interfere.”
Nandan Unnikrishnan of the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation told AFP: “There may be some reduction in energy purchases – under pressure from the United States – but the general direction of ties will remain because both countries need each other at a strategic level.”
‘Critical moment’
A senior official in India’s foreign ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the trade imbalance needed to be addressed “one way or the other.”
Bilateral trade reached $68.7 billion in 2024-25 (almost six times higher than pre-pandemic levels), but Indian exports accounted for just $4.88 billion.
Delhi has been pressing Moscow to expand market access for its key industries, including pharmaceuticals, automotive and the services sector.
Harsh V Pant, professor of international relations at King’s College London, said the visit was an attempt to “reset their relationship at a critical geopolitical time for both of them.”
“For India, this vision is a statement of intent for strategic autonomy, and Putin, who rarely travels, sends a message about the importance of the relationship by traveling here,” Pant told AFP.
The Indian foreign ministry official described ties between Moscow and Delhi as “the most stable relationship in modern times.”
The official acknowledged the global geopolitical importance, but insisted that the meeting should be viewed in context as “just another annual summit.”
