New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin convened at Hyderabad House on Friday for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, marking one of the most strategically significant diplomatic engagements of the year. The high-level dialogue follows a day of important symbolic and ceremonial gestures, including a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan and a solemn visit to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
Earlier in the morning, President Putin was formally welcomed at Rashtrapati Bhavan with full military honours in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan. In a rare gesture signaling personal warmth and political significance, PM Modi had personally received Putin at the Delhi airport a day earlier, greeting him with a hug and a firm handshake.
Putin, accompanied by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and a high-powered delegation of business and industry leaders including top officials from Rosoboronexport, Rosneft and Gazprom Neft began the day by offering floral tributes at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, underscoring the diplomatic weight attached to the visit.
The summit discussions at Hyderabad House are centred around strengthening economic cooperation, particularly in defense manufacturing, energy security, and agreements facilitating the mobility of skilled labour between the two nations. Multiple pacts in areas such as shipping, fertilizers, connectivity, healthcare and workforce migration are anticipated.
Defense remains a central pillar of the dialogue. India is expected to press Moscow for expedited delivery of the remaining two S-400 missile systems under the 2018 deal, delayed due to supply disruptions linked to the war in Ukraine. Discussions are also likely on:
• Upgrading the Su-30MKI fleet
• Accelerating delivery of pending defense hardware
• Joint military drills and humanitarian relief coordination
• Possibilities of acquiring additional S-400 variants
• Evaluating Russia’s proposal to supply the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter
While Moscow is eager to expand defense exports, Indian officials have reportedly cautioned against expectations of major new deals during this visit.
Putin arrives at a time when India and the U.S. are negotiating a trade package to offset punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, who accuses New Delhi of “financing Russia’s war machine” through its heavy consumption of discounted Russian crude.
Despite Western pressure, India maintains that affordable energy imports are vital for its 1.4 billion citizens.
Russia, India’s long-standing top arms supplier, aims to rebalance trade which heavily favours Moscow by importing more Indian goods and reaching the $100-billion bilateral trade target by 2030.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the India-Russia Strategic Partnership, initiated during Putin’s first year as president in 2000. The annual summit tradition was disrupted in 2022 due to the Ukraine war and again in 2023 when Putin skipped the G20 summit in Delhi amid the International Criminal Court’s warrant.
The resumption of regular summits in 2024 restored rhythm to the longstanding relationship.
Major U.S. media outlets have characterised Putin’s visit as a critical test of India’s strategic autonomy.
• The Washington Post said Modi is navigating a “delicate diplomatic challenge,” trying to maintain trusted ties with Moscow without antagonising Washington.
• The New York Times highlighted Modi’s personal airport reception as a message of “enduring rapport,” while noting India’s difficult economic negotiations with the U.S.
• The Wall Street Journal described the visit as an attempt by Putin to “protect a crucial economic lifeline,” even as India reduces Russian oil imports under tightening U.S.-EU sanctions.
• CNN linked the visit to Putin’s latest remarks on Ukraine, underscoring global tensions as the backdrop to the summit.
Across major outlets, India is portrayed as balancing its historical defense partnership with Russia against its rapidly growing strategic and economic partnership with the United States.
The leaders will issue a joint press statement later in the day, followed by an interaction with Indian and Russian business leaders.
A state banquet hosted by President Murmu will conclude the visit before Putin departs New Delhi tonight.
India and Russia continue to anchor their ties in defense, energy, nuclear cooperation and multilateral coordination. Even as India diversifies its defense sourcing and deepens its partnership with the United States, Moscow remains an indispensable strategic actor for New Delhi.
Putin’s visit amid global tensions, sanctions, shifting oil flows and an evolving Asian power matrix places India at the centre of a complex geopolitical recalibration, one where New Delhi’s diplomatic choices will reverberate far beyond the walls of Hyderabad House.