Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi on December 4 for high-level summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 5. This marks his first visit to India since the Ukraine conflict began, restoring the tradition of annual India–Russia summits.
The discussions will focus on shielding bilateral trade from US sanctions, expanding defence cooperation, and exploring new avenues in nuclear energy, including small modular reactors. Moscow has indicated that the summit will be used to safeguard India–Russia economic ties from restrictions imposed by the United States.
Russia’s parliament has approved a key defence agreement — the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support (RELOS) — strengthening operational cooperation between the two countries. The visit also comes as India seeks to reinforce strategic autonomy while balancing pressure from the US over Russian energy and defence imports.
Both nations have progressed on agreements for skilled manpower mobility, and negotiations have begun on a potential free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union to address tariff and market access issues. The summit is expected to reaffirm long-standing defence and economic ties between New Delhi and Moscow.
Putin’s India Visit to Prioritise Trade Protection and Defence Cooperation
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