Putin to begin India visit today with private dinner with PM Modi; trade, defence in focus

Modi’s private dinner would be a reciprocation of a similar gesture extended to the Indian PM by the Russian leader during his visit to Moscow in July last year

Russian President Vladimir Putin will start his first visit to India in four years with a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

The two leaders will reportedly focus on enhancing the special and privileged strategic partnership, particularly through deeper economic engagement, while also reviewing major global and regional developments. The Prime Minister is expected to restate India’s demand for a swift resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war through dialogue and diplomatic channels.

Modi’s private dinner would be a reciprocation of a similar gesture extended to the Indian PM by the Russian leader during his visit to Moscow in July last year.

Putin’s key engagements are lined up for Friday, when he will receive a ceremonial welcome ahead of the 23rd India-Russia Summit. Modi will host a working lunch for the Russian president and his delegation at Hyderabad House, the summit venue.

Putin is also expected to visit Rajghat in the morning, according to people familiar with the plans cited by news agency PTI.

Following the summit, Putin is expected to unveil the new India channel of the Russian state-run network RT, after which he will join a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.

New Delhi is set to emphasise concerns over the expanding trade deficit arising from high volumes of Russian crude imports.

The visit coincides with a tense period in India-US ties, marked by sharply increased American tariffs -- including a 25 per cent duty related to Russian oil imports. The impact of these sanctions on India’s energy trade with Moscow is likely to be discussed during 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. Officials told PTI India is also looking at boosting cooperation in the fertiliser sector. Russia supplies three to four million tonnes of fertilisers to India annually.

The Indian and Russian sides are also likely to discuss New Delhi's proposed free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Ahead of the summit, the defence ministers of the two countries will hold wide-ranging talks on Thursday that are likely to focus on India's plan to procure additional batches of S-400 missile systems and other critical military hardware from Russia.

The S-400 missile systems proved to be very effective during Operation Sindoor, India’s response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.