- By Talibuddin Khan
- Fri, 28 Nov 2025 02:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Putin India Visit: Russian President Vladimir Putin will be visiting India next week for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. This will be Putin's first visit to India since 2021 and the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. The visit also assumes significance as both India and Russia are at the receiving end of Trump's punitive tariffs over the oil trade between the two Asian powers.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Vladimir Putin will visit India from December 4 and 5. The visit came after an invitation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year.
During the visit, Putin will hold talks with PM Modi "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 MEA said. President Draupadi Murmu will also host Putin at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Kremlin's confirmation about Putin's India visit came a week after he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Moscow. The two leaders discussed regional and global developments during their meeting.
"This visit is of great importance, providing an opportunity to comprehensively discuss the extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations as a particularly privileged strategic partnership," the Kremlin said in a statement, adding, "The relationship covered bilateral political, trade, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, and humanitarian spheres.
According to a report by the Times of India, New Delhi is expected to press Russia for their demand of five more squadrons of the S-400 air defence systems during the Putin and PM Modi's meet in December. India is also likely to push for a large procurement of missiles. Besides, the two countries are expected to discuss strategic and connectivity issues, balancing trade and the Ukraine war.
The Oil Conundrum:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Putin in September this year on the sidelines of SCO Summit in China and discussed bilateral trade. India and Russia share a strong and strategic partnership, spanning defence, petroleum and other sectors. Russia has also been emerged as India's biggest supplier of arms, while India is one of the largest buyers of Russian crude oil.
Donald Trump has repeatedly called on PM Modi for India to "stop" buying oil from Russia. However, India has reiterated that its decision on trade with Russia or any other nation will depend on national interests.
However, the Russian oil imports have witnessed a 16 per cent decline in September 2025, as compared to September 2024, after US President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on New Delhi and Russian oil firms over the oil trade.