NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dialled Russian President Putin to congratulate him on his 73rd birthday and conveyed best wishes for good health and success. The two leaders, during the call, reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership. They also reviewed the progress on the bilateral agenda. PM Modi conveyed that he looks forward to welcoming President Putin to India for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.Last week, the Russian president confirmed that he will visit India in early December. Speaking at the 2025 Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi, Putin said that he is looking forward to meeting his “friend” and Russia’s “trustworthy partner”, PM Modi. He also affirmed Moscow’s long-standing trust in New Delhi and called PM Modi a “balanced, wise” and “nationally oriented” leader.According to PTI, Putin had said that India will not tolerate their country being bullied when asked about the US threat to impose high tariffs and sanctions over ties with Russia. “(India) will never allow itself to be humiliated by anyone. I know Prime Minister Modi, he will also not make any such decisions,” he said. “The losses faced by India due to punitive US tariffs would be balanced by crude imports from Russia, plus it will gain prestige as a sovereign nation,” Putin added.Earlier on October 3, India and Russia marked the 25th anniversary of the Declaration of Strategic Partnership between both countries. “The year 2025 has already been rich with numerous bilateral exchanges and a particularly warm and substantial engagement of our leaders at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin. Later this year, we look forward to the upcoming bilateral summit in New Delhi, which will coincide with the 15th anniversary of elevating our strategic partnership to the level of a ‘special and privileged’ relationship,” Denis Alipov, the Russian Ambassador to India, had said.
