Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to India in December, the Kremlin confirmed on Friday, as Moscow and New Delhi deepen their strategic ties in the face of US trade pressure, reported AFP news agency.
Putin is also set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in Tianjin, China, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the leaders would use the meeting to “prepare for the December visit.”
The announcement comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, a move widely seen as retaliation for New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil and weapons.
Russia Turns East After Sanctions
Russia has redirected much of its energy exports to India and China after losing European markets due to sanctions imposed following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. India has defended its purchases, arguing that “traditional supplies were diverted to Europe” and that buying discounted Russian oil serves its national interest.
Despite mounting Western pressure, New Delhi and Moscow have maintained what both sides describe as a “special and privileged strategic partnership.”
SCO Summit to Set the Tone
Putin and Modi will meet in Tianjin from 31 August to 1 September during the SCO Summit. Ushakov confirmed that “right after the SCO Plus meeting (on September 1), our president will meet Indian Prime Minister Modi.”
It will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders this year, although they have remained in frequent telephone contact. “Our countries are bound by a special strategic partnership,” Ushakov noted, adding that 2025 marks 15 years since the signing of the landmark 2010 agreement that formalised the partnership.
ICC Warrant Overshadows Visit
Putin’s international travel remains closely scrutinised after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in March 2023 for the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. However, India is not a member of the ICC and is under no legal obligation to detain the Russian leader.
The December visit, if it goes ahead as planned, is expected to reinforce Moscow’s pivot towards Asia and highlight New Delhi’s balancing act between its long-standing defence ties with Russia and growing strategic alignment with the West.
