Amid the ongoing trade tensions between India and the US over New Delhi’s decision to continue the purchase of oil from Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be in India in early December for a summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to media reports, the visit is expected to happen on December 5 and 6.
“India and Russia are working on dates for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India. The visit is likely to be in early December,” news agency ANI said in a tweet, citing sources.
If confirmed, this will be Putin’s first visit to India since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The focus of the visit is expected to be strengthening the defence and trade ties between India and Russia, especially in the context of the US tariffs.
The ANI report further said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to visit India before Putin.
In August, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who travelled to Russia to hold crucial talks on bilateral energy and defence ties, had said during his meetings in Moscow that dates for Putin’s visit to India were being worked out.
Modi had met Putin a few weeks ago, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, China. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including in the economic, financial, and energy sectors, and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in bilateral ties in these areas.