Russian President Vladimir Putin has landed in New Delhi on Thursday evening for his first India visit since the start of the Ukraine war, aiming to strengthen strategic ties and push new defense and trade deals.
He was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the two leaders travelled together in the same car as they departed from the Palam Technical Airport in Delhi.
Putin is on a two-day visit to India to attend the 23rd Annual India-Russia Summit. Later today, the Russian President will attend a private dinner hosted by PM Modi.
The 30-hour trip comes amid heightened US pressure on India over its continued purchases of Russian crude and defense equipment.
Putin will hold a private dinner with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before formal engagements on Friday, including meetings at Rashtrapati Bhavan and Hyderabad House. He is accompanied by senior ministers and top executives from Russia’s defense and energy sectors.
The visit marks 25 years of the India-Russia strategic partnership but comes at a delicate moment. India has long balanced ties with both Moscow and Washington, yet the Ukraine conflict and fresh US tariffs have intensified scrutiny of New Delhi’s ties with the Kremlin.
Defense cooperation — still the strongest pillar of the relationship — is expected to dominate talks, with discussions on additional S-400 air defense systems and Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter jets. Trade will also be key, though a widening $64bn deficit and declining Russian oil imports pose challenges to the goal of reaching $100bn in bilateral trade by 2030.
Both nations are also exploring labor migration as a new area of cooperation, with Russia eyeing Indian workers to fill a projected labor shortfall.
As global geopolitical tensions sharpen, analysts say Putin’s visit offers Moscow a diplomatic boost while testing India’s ability to maintain strategic autonomy between competing powers. (with inputs from news agencies)
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