New Delhi: India and Russia have taken significant steps to strengthen their long standing partnership during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official visit to New Delhi for the annual India Russia summit. This was Putin’s first visit to India in four years and comes at a time of rapid changes in global politics and international trade.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally received President Putin at the airport on Monday evening. In a moment widely shared on social media, both leaders travelled together in the same car to the prime minister’s residence, signalling warmth and strong personal rapport. This was followed by a private dinner and later a state banquet hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu.
During formal talks at Hyderabad House, India and Russia signed 16 agreements covering a wide range of cooperation including defence, energy, trade, nuclear power, technology, health, agriculture, academic exchange and cultural collaboration. Both sides announced a target to increase bilateral trade to 100 billion dollars a year by 2030. Current trade stands at around 65 billion dollars, driven mainly by India’s imports of discounted Russian oil.
One of the key announcements was the decision to fast track negotiations on a free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union. Officials also agreed to accelerate discussions for a bilateral investment treaty to encourage private sector partnerships and long term commercial confidence.
Energy remained one of the most important themes of the visit. President Putin assured India that Russia will continue to provide regular and uninterrupted supplies of oil, coal and other energy products, regardless of global sanctions and pressure from Western countries. India has become one of the biggest buyers of Russian crude oil since the Ukraine conflict began.
Defence cooperation also received focussed attention. India and Russia discussed expanding joint manufacturing of defence equipment within India, including spare parts, engines and advanced technology platforms. This aligns with India’s aim to reduce dependence on foreign defence imports and support its Make in India defence manufacturing programme.
Along with trade and security issues, both sides explored cooperation in advanced technologies such as nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, digital finance and space science. Russia reaffirmed its continued support for India’s civil nuclear programme including reactor construction and technical training.
Cultural diplomacy also played a role. Prime Minister Modi gifted President Putin a Russian language edition of the Bhagavad Gita, symbolising historical goodwill and intellectual ties between the two nations.
International observers say the visit highlights that despite global tensions, India and Russia continue to maintain a strong strategic partnership. It also shows India’s approach of balancing its global relationships with both Western nations and long standing allies like Russia.
Both leaders described the summit as successful and forward looking. They expressed confidence that the new agreements will support economic development, technology cooperation and long term regional stability.