Western countries are closely monitoring Putin’s visit.  ( Western ) 

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is arriving in India on Thursday for a two-day state visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a high dinner for him today. The US and Europe    ( Western )    are watching the deepening friendship between PM Modi and President Putin. This visit comes at a time when India’s relations with the US have reached an all-time low. Consequently, Putin’s visit is being seen as a major step towards strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between India and Russia.

Western countries are closely monitoring Putin’s visit.
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, Putin will participate in the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit on December 4-5. He will hold extensive bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Western countries are closely monitoring Putin’s visit. The US has imposed several sanctions on Russia and India over the Ukraine conflict. Despite this, Putin’s visit to India and India’s continued purchase of oil from Russia are a great example of the strong friendship between the two countries.

What time will Putin arrive in Delhi?
President Putin’s plane will land in New Delhi at around 4:30 pm on Thursday. Immediately afterward, Prime Minister Modi will host a private dinner in his honor at his residence on Lok Kalyan Marg. Previously, Putin hosted PM Modi with a similar high-level dinner during his visit to Moscow in July 2024. Officials said that Putin will receive a formal welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday morning, after which Putin will visit Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Putin and Modi will inaugurate Russia Today’s India channel.
Putin and Modi will hold a bilateral summit at Hyderabad House on Friday at 11 am. Defense cooperation, protecting bilateral trade from external pressures, and cooperation in small modular nuclear reactors will be key agenda items. Following the summit, the two leaders will meet with business leaders at Bharat Mandapam. President Putin will then inaugurate Russia Today’s India channel, for which the Russian government has established a 100-member bureau. President Draupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in his honor at 7 p.m. After a visit of approximately 28-30 hours, Putin will return to Moscow at 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

Key Agenda of the Meeting Between Putin and Modi

The main agenda of the meeting between Putin and Modi will be defense, energy, and the trade deficit. At the summit, India will express concern about the growing trade deficit (India’s exports are $65 billion, imports are $5 billion) due to large purchases of Russian crude oil. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Western sanctions may lead to a temporary decline in oil supplies, but Russia is taking steps to increase them. Discussions will include the impact of US sanctions, increasing Indian exports in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food products, and consumer goods, and cooperation in the fertilizer sector (Russia supplies 3-4 million tons annually).

Discussion on ending the Ukraine conflict will also take place. Putin will brief Modi on US efforts to end the Ukraine conflict. India is clear that peace is possible only through dialogue and diplomacy. Several agreements are expected to be signed, including facilitating the movement of Indian workers to Russia and expanding defense cooperation. Discussions will also be held on the early finalization of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which aims to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030. Prior to this, a meeting of defense ministers will take place on Thursday. Focus on S-400, Su-57 missiles. Prior to the visit, talks will be held between Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Andrei Belousov on Thursday. On the agenda will be additional procurement of S-400 missiles (proven effective in Operation Sindoor), Sukhoi-30 upgrades, Su-57 fighter aircraft supplies, and early military material deliveries.