India-Russia SummitPutin likely to visit India in Dec first weekRussian President Vladimir Putin is likely to visit India in the first week of December this year for the Indo-Russian annual summit. The summit alternates between the two countries each year. Putin, however, has not visited India since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Sources say the Russian side has begun preparations for the December visit. Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov had recently confirmed that Putin would be travelling to India for the summit. However, he did not provide specific dates stating that “the dates will be mutually worked out soon”. According to sources, the summit is likely to take place in December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Russia twice this year – first for the annual summit in July, and again for the BRICS summit in Kazan in October. The two countries have elevated their relationship to the level of ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ that has resulted in close trade, economic and scientific cooperation. The bilateral trade between the two countries has reached all-time high, exceeding $65 billion in 2023-24. The closest cooperation between the two countries is in the fields of defence and energy. The Indo-Russian defence ties involve joint R&D, joint production and marketing of advanced defence technologies and systems. The BrahMos missile system is an example of this cooperation. Other examples include joint development of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft and the Multi Transport Aircraft, as well as the licensed production in India of SU-30 aircraft and T-90 tanks. President Putin’s visit is expected to lead to the signing of new agreements in banking and petroleum, as well as acceleration of projects relating to transport and defence. While preparations for the visit have begun, sources have not ruled out the possibility of it being postponed if the war between Russia and Ukraine further escalates.
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