Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening defense and trade relations, amid growing pressure from the United States over New Delhi’s continued economic ties with Moscow.
This marks Putin’s first trip to India since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022. He is accompanied by a delegation including Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov. The visit includes a private dinner with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, followed by a summit and business meeting on Friday.
Putin’s visit comes as India faces diplomatic balancing between its long-standing relations with Russia and its economic partnership with the United States. In August, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on most Indian products in response to India’s purchases of Russian oil, which Washington argues funds Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing organized by Sputnik India that the supply of Russia’s S-400 air defense systems “had an important place on the agenda.” India has so far received three of the five S-400 systems agreed upon in a 2018 deal, deliveries of which were delayed due to Western sanctions.
Defense cooperation will also likely include discussions around co-producing Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets in India, according to local media reports. Russia has been India’s largest arms supplier historically, though its share of India’s defense imports dropped from 76% in 2009–2013 to 36% in 2019–2023, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows.
On energy, India, one of the top buyers of discounted Russian oil since Europe cut off imports, has recently reduced purchases under pressure from U.S. sanctions targeting companies such as Rosneft and Lukoil. Despite the decline, energy cooperation remains significant, and Moscow continues to supply spare parts for India’s legacy military equipment.
Peskov said Moscow is not deterred by U.S. economic measures. “What concerns us is how we are going to maintain and increase the volume of our bilateral business with India without allowing anyone to interfere,” he said.
India’s foreign ministry has emphasized a desire to address its growing trade imbalance with Russia. In the 2024–25 fiscal year, two-way trade reached $68.7 billion, but Indian exports accounted for only $4.88 billion. The government has urged Russia to open markets to Indian pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and services.
Several analysts believe Putin’s trip reflects efforts by India and Russia to recalibrate their relationship amid global realignments. “There may be some reduction in energy purchases — under US pressure — but the overall direction of the ties will be maintained because both countries need each other at the strategic level,” Nandan Unnikrishnan of the Observer Research Foundation told France 24.
Harsh V Pant, professor of international relations at King’s College London, said the meeting signaled “a statement of intent for strategic autonomy” for India while highlighting the importance Moscow places on the relationship. “Putin, who rarely travels, is sending a message about the importance of the relationship by travelling here,” Pant told France 24.
Though set against a backdrop of international tensions and sharp geopolitical divides, Indian officials cast the summit as part of a regular diplomatic schedule. A senior Indian foreign ministry official, speaking to France 24 on condition of anonymity, said it should “be seen in its bilateral context” and called the Russia-India relationship “the most stable relationship in modern times.”
