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NEW DELHI (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in India Thursday on a state visit aimed at bolstering bilateral and economic ties between the two countries.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Russian leader at an airport in New Delhi, giving a bearhug and a tight handshake with the gusto of an old friend.
Modi will host Putin for a private dinner tonight at his decked-up official residence.
On Friday, the two leaders will hold talks as part of the 23rd India-Russia Summit and discuss deepening economic cooperation, mainly in defense, energy and the mobility of skilled labor.
Putin’s visit comes at a sensitive time in global politics when there is a renewed push by the U.S. on a peace deal to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end. The visit will test New Delhi’s efforts to balance relations with Moscow and Washington as the nearly four-year war in Ukraine grinds on.
Critics say while India has historically maintained deep ties with Russia. Putin’s visit could ruffle feathers among anti-Moscow nations and potentially jeopardize New Delhi’s negotiations for major trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, deals seen as critical for boosting India’s exports.
Putin last visited India in 2021. Modi was in Moscow last year, and the two leaders briefly met in September in China during a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
‘India is a great power’
Before his visit, Putin told India Today — an Indian media group — in an interview that Russia had plans to cooperate with India in “the most important areas: cutting-edge technology, space exploration and nuclear energy,” Russian state news agency Tass reported.
Putin acknowledged that heavy sanctions on Russia’s economy caused “certain difficulties,” but said that there were solutions and that countries that tried to hinder third-country trade would “ultimately suffer losses themselves.”
“India is a great power, not a British colony. And everyone will have to accept that,” Putin was quoted as saying by Tass.
Putin referred to Modi as a friend.
Boosting trade
Bilateral trade stood at $68.7 billion in the last fiscal year that ended in March, according to Indian government data. The two countries are looking to reach $100 billion by 2030. At present, trade is heavily skewed in favor of Russia with deep deficits for India.
India’s exports stood at a marginal $4.88 billion, while imports were at $63.84 billion, largely led by inbound shipments of Russian crude.
Indian officials said that New Delhi was working with Moscow to bridge the deficit and boost exports across sectors, including marine products, agriculture, automobiles and pharmaceuticals.
Multiple agreements were expected Friday in shipping, health care, fertilizers, connectivity and labor mobility — which would give impetus to both relations and trade, they said.
Defense cooperation
Russia continues to be India’s biggest supplier of military hardware, despite New Delhi trying to diversify its purchases from other countries over the past few years.
Hours before the Russian President landed, his Defense Minister Andrei Belousov co-chaired an intergovernmental commission on military and technical cooperation with Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
Defense cooperation is expected to be at the core of the discussion when Putin and Modi hold talks.
India is expected to push Russia for faster delivery of two further S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, after receiving three under a 2018 deal worth about $5.4 billion. The delay has been tied to supply chain disruptions linked to the war in Ukraine.
Indian authorities are also exploring the possibility of acquiring additional S-400 units or an upgraded variant, though no contract or announcement is expected during Putin’s visit.
Indian defense planners say the S-400 proved effective during a brief military standoff with Pakistan in May.
Talks are also expected on upgrading India’s Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets and accelerating deliveries of critical military hardware, as well as improving coordination on joint exercises and disaster relief.
Moscow is keen on selling its stealth fighter jet Su-57 to India, but New Delhi has kept its options open to other foreign suppliers as well.
U.S. sanctions
Washington has been critical of India buying discounted Russian oil, which it says helps finance Moscow’s war machine. In August, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed additional 25% tariffs on Indian imports, raising the total duties to 50% in retaliation.
India has defended its imports as essential for meeting the growing energy needs of its 1.4 billion people. The matter is expected to come up for detailed discussion.
In October, the U.S. sanctioned two of Moscow’s biggest oil producers, in a move aimed at forcing countries like India to cut down on imports.
Indian officials say New Delhi has always abided by international sanctions and will do so in the case of Russian oil purchase too. However, options remain open to source from entities that aren’t in the sanction net yet.
Praveen Donthi, senior analyst for India at International Crisis Group, said that the summit would offer opportunities for India and Russia to reaffirm their relationship amid intense pressure from Trump, who imposed steep tariffs to punish New Delhi for importing Russian oil.
“While this pressure has succeeded in getting New Delhi to reduce its crude oil imports from Russia, it will continue to uphold defense with Moscow, especially amid tensions with China and Pakistan,” Donthi said.
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Katie Marie Davies contributed to this report from Manchester, England.
