Putin’s 2-day India visit set for Dec 4–5
NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India on December 4-5 to attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. The state visit follows an invitation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the two countries growing closer in the last few months after the US imposed punitive tariffs over New Delhi’s Russian oil imports.
“At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to India from 4-5 December 2025 for the
23rd India-Russia Annual Summit,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
President Putin will hold talks with PM Modi during his India visit, it said. President Droupadi Murmu will also receive the Russian leader at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and host a banquet in his honour.
The focus of the Modi-Putin talks are expected to focus on deepening cooperation in areas of defence and security, trade and civil nuclear energy. The Ukraine conflict is also likely to figure prominently in the talks.
India is looking at procuring additional batches of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia as the weapons proved to be very effective during the Operation Sindoor.
It is learnt that the proposed procurement may figure in the talks between the two sides.
India and Russia have a mechanism under which India’s prime minister and the Russian president hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of ties. So far 22 annual summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.
Putin’s visit will provide an opportunity for the Indian and Russian leadership to review progress in bilateral relations, set the vision for strengthening the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the government said.
The Russian president had last visited New Delhi in 2021. In July last year, PM Modi travelled to Moscow for the annual summit. Russia has been a time-tested partner for India and the country has been a key pillar of New Delhi’s foreign policy.
The timing of the visit is particularly significant as it unfolds against the backdrop of mounting trade and tariff uncertainties with the United States, delays in defence deliveries from Washington, and growing challenges in the energy sector.
The 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit comes at a moment marked by turbulence in global energy markets, sweeping sanctions on Russian energy exports, and India’s urgent need to secure stable and affordable energy supplies to sustain its economic growth. The United States has repeatedly raised concerns over India’s expanding energy engagement with Russia, alleging that Indian oil companies are profiteering from discounted Russian crude. Earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused India of “exploiting the war” by importing cheap Russian oil and reselling refined products in global markets for profit.
Despite such external pressure, Russia has historically been one of India’s most important energy partners, particularly in crude oil supplies, while cooperation has steadily expanded across oil, gas and civilian nuclear energy. However, sanctions-related risks and geopolitical uncertainties have compelled India to recalibrate parts of this engagement.
It is in this context that several major Indian refiners are reportedly planning to halt or significantly reduce imports of Russian crude from December 2025. Energy, therefore, is expected to dominate the agenda during President Putin’s visit, with both sides likely to focus on sustaining cooperation under a bilateral programme in the oil and gas sector that covers exploration, production, LNG projects and long-term supplies.
There is also speculation that, even after recent cuts, Russia might continue providing supplies to select Indian refineries on the basis of offering discounted crude and flexible commercial terms in order to retain its share in the Indian market. Beyond oil, the discussions are expected to focus on gas cooperation, with Indian and Russian firms reportedly weighing participation in joint gas and LNG projects. Natural gas is increasingly being seen by New Delhi as a cleaner, more diversified energy source for transport, industrial use, power generation, and feedstock. India–Russia energy relations also encompass civilian nuclear power, where Russia has been playing a key role in building and expanding India’s nuclear power infrastructure under long-standing agreements. Cooperation is further likely to expand to encompass electric power production, renewable energy, and energy-efficiency technologies.
Defence cooperation remains another cornerstone of the bilateral relationship. India is expected to raise concerns over delays in the delivery of the remaining S-400 Triumf air defence systems under the 2018 agreement during the summit, and may also explore options for acquiring additional long-range air defence assets to strengthen its layered airspace protection. Moscow has confirmed that India, after the initial deliveries under the $5.43 billion contract for five S-400 units, is considering the acquisition of additional systems, including the next-generation S-500. Russian authorities have assured New Delhi that the remaining S-400 systems will be delivered by September 2026, although timelines remain vulnerable to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and related logistical pressures.
Institutional mechanisms have also been reinforced to consolidate the engagement in defence. The fifth meeting of the Working Group on Military Cooperation under the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation was held in New Delhi.
Senior military officials from both sides agreed to build close operational synergy and identify new projects for co-development.
On the question of advanced fighter aircraft, India is no longer a development partner in the Su-57 programme, but Russia continues to engage New Delhi as a potential buyer or limited technology partner. India, however, remains cautious due to concerns over cost, performance benchmarks, the risk of sanctions, and its strategic emphasis on the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
In recent years, bilateral trade between India and Russia has reached record levels, overwhelmingly due to energy imports. Simultaneously, both sides are now energetically pursuing diversification of non-energy trade. India’s exports to Russia, though modest in comparison with its imports, consist of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, engineering goods, tea, coffee and agricultural products. Russia exports fertilisers, coal, coking coal, metals and industrial raw materials to India.
