Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit New Delhi on December 5–6 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. This trip would be his first to India since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
The visit follows a meeting between President Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, China, on September 1 during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where the invitation for the December summit was renewed. The Kremlin had previously confirmed Putin’s acceptance of an earlier invitation from PM Modi.
The deep, decades-old strategic partnership between India and Russia continues, with Moscow remaining a top supplier of arms and energy. Since the war in Ukraine began nearly four years ago, India has significantly increased its imports of discounted Russian oil, becoming one of Russia’s largest buyers and helping sustain Moscow’s revenue despite Western sanctions.
Key defence deals are also high on the agenda for the summit, with Russia reportedly set to push for the sale of its Su-57E fifth-generation fighter jet, while India is interested in the advanced S-500 air defence missile system.
