On Thursday evening, the Prime Minister personally received the Russian President at Delhi’s Palam Airport, a rare diplomatic gesture. The two leaders shared a hug and a handshake before traveling together in a white Toyota Fortuner to Lok Kalyan Marg 7, the Prime Minister’s official residence.
Watch live updates of President Putin’s visit here.
India and Russia follow an annual summit mechanism where the Prime Minister and the Russian President review the full spectrum of bilateral ties. So far, 22 such summits have been held, alternating between the two countries.
President Putin last visited New Delhi in 2021, while Prime Minister Modi traveled to Moscow for the annual summit in July last year.
The summit will primarily focus on strengthening defense ties, protecting India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation on small modular reactors, news agency PTI reported.
During the talks, New Delhi is likely to raise concerns about the widening trade deficit, largely caused by India’s heavy imports of Russian crude.
Putin’s visit comes at a critical time as high US tariffs on India over oil purchases from Moscow have strained ties with Washington. The impact of these tariffs on India’s energy imports is expected to figure prominently in the discussions.
Meanwhile, Russian leader is also likely to brief Prime Minister Modi on the latest US initiatives regarding the war in Ukraine. India has consistently maintained that diplomacy and dialogue are the only viable path to ending the war.
Energy cooperation will also play a prominent role. Russia is understood to have offered India additional discounts on crude oil purchases after New Delhi’s imports fell in recent weeks following new US sanctions on two major Russian oil producers.
PUTIN’S DAY 2 AGENDA
President Putin will begin Day 2 of his state visit with a ceremonial welcome and guard of honor of three services at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 11 a.m., before heading to Raj Ghat to pay tribute at the monument to Mahatma Gandhi half an hour later.
It will be followed by the summits between the two leaders and with their delegations at Hyderabad House at 11.50 am in a closed format. This will be followed by the signing of several agreements between the two nations and a joint conference by the Prime Minister and Putin at 1:50 p.m.
Modi and the Russian President will also attend a business event jointly organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Roscongress at Bharat Mandapam.
In the evening, Putin will attend a state banquet hosted in his honor by President Droupadi Murmu. The Russian leader is expected to leave India around 9 pm on Friday.
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