Russia: Putin departs for State Visit to India

Moscow [Russia], December 4 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin has departed from Russia for his two-day State visit to India, as reported by TASS.
According to the Russian media outlet, the Russian delegation will hold comprehensive discussions on cooperation in areas such as trade and economic, scientific and technological, and cultural and humanitarian spheres. Current international and regional issues will also be on the agenda.
Ten intergovernmental documents and more than 15 agreements and memorandums between commercial and non-commercial entities of the two countries are being prepared for signing during the visit of the Russian President, TASS reported.
Putin is set to arrive in New Delhi this evening on a State Visit for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.
This is his first visit here since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022. The last time he visited the country was in December 2021. Ptuin's two-day visit is at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Modi is set to host a private dinner for the Russian President Putin after his arrival in New Delhi.
On December 5, Putin will receive a ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan, before he proceeds to the Raj Ghat to pay homage at the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
The two leaders will hold talks in a restricted format and with their delegations at Hyderabad House.
Several agreements focus on cooperation in areas such as trade, economy, agriculture and academia.
Acccording to Ministry of External Affairs, Putin's visit will provide an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations, outline the vision for strengthening the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership', and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Ahead of Putin's India visit, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Co-chair of the India-Russia Inter-governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation Denis Manturov said it marks a "return to the tradition of annual high-level summits," describing it as a major step toward deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries."
Earlier, Kremlin Spokesperson Dimitry Peskov said that the sale of additional S-400 long-range anti-aircraft missiles could be on the agenda during the visit.
"Highly on the agenda, and this could be discussed. Our military industry is working pretty well. Russian arms 36% in Indian armed forces and hopefully will continue," Peskov said.
Russia also hopes to discuss the possibility of India acquiring the Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter."SU-57 is the best plane in the world. SU57 will be on the agenda," said Peskov.
"As far as our cooperation in the defence industry goes, let's remember the famous Brahmos missiles. It's not only just production or it's not only acts of buying or selling, it's also the exchange of high technologies, and it really paves the way for a bright future in this field of cooperation. We're developing quite, quite a variety of very complicated systems. And in this sense, of course, we have capabilities. We are ready to share this with our Indian friends, our experience," he added.
Kremlin Spokesperson Peskov also said that there was the possibility of an agreement on nuclear energy between India and Russia during the President's visit.
The two leaders last met in person on September 1 this year in Tianjin, China, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
Putin's visit marks the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between India and Russia, established in October 2000. During the Russian President's visit to India in December 2010, the Strategic Partnership was elevated to a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership."
Intensifying trade and economic relations has been identified as a priority area, with a target of increasing bilateral trade to 100 billion dollars by 2030. Bilateral trade between India and Russia reached a record high of 68.7 billion dollars in 2024-25.
During his visit to India, Putin is being accompanied by a Russian delegation, including Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and other ministers. The delegation also includes representatives of the Federal Customs Service, Russia's financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Director Dmitry Shugayev, and the CEOs of Roscosmos, Rosatom, and VEB.RF.
From the business community, Russia will be represented by the heads of Rosneft, Sberbank, Basic Element, Rusal, VTB Bank, the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers, Roskhim, and Transmashholding, among others, the Kremlin aide said. (ANI)