Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India from December 4 to 5 for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
During his visit, Putin will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi, focusing on key areas of cooperation. President Droupadi Murmu will also receive the Russian leader and host a banquet in his honour, the MEA added.
The visit is expected to provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress of their long-standing partnership, outline a roadmap for strengthening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual concern, the foreign ministry said.
The Kremlin, in a statement, said the visit “is of great importance, providing an opportunity to comprehensively discuss the extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations as a particularly privileged strategic partnership.” It added that the relationship spans political, trade, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation.
The upcoming visit will mark Putin’s first to India since 2021. The two leaders last met in person on September 1 this year in Tianjin, China, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, where they reviewed cooperation in the economic, financial, and energy sectors and expressed satisfaction with their steady growth. They also discussed key regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine, with Prime Minister Modi reiterating support for recent initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict and stressing the need for a rapid cessation of hostilities and a durable peace settlement.
On November 19, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met President Putin along with other heads of delegations attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting. A day earlier, on November 18, Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow and held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral cooperation, during which both sides reviewed preparations for the upcoming summit.
The foreign minister also inaugurated two new Indian Consulates General in Russia, marking a new phase in bilateral engagement and further strengthening ties between the two countries.