By Asia Samachar | India |
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi on Thursday for a rare 30-hour visit, his first trip to India since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.
The visit comes at a sensitive moment, as the United States intensifies pressure on both Russia and India while Washington’s push for an Ukraine peace settlement appears to have stalled.
Putin’s trip also coincides with a sharp downturn in US-India relations. President Donald Trump has slapped punitive tariffs and threatened sanctions on New Delhi over its continued imports of discounted Russian crude — purchases that surged more than 2,000 percent following the Ukraine invasion. The strain has made India’s balancing act between Russia and the West increasingly difficult.
During the visit, Putin will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a private dinner before attending a full slate of ceremonial and bilateral engagements on Friday, including talks at Hyderabad House and meetings with business leaders. The Kremlin has described the visit as “of great importance” for strengthening what both nations call a “privileged strategic partnership”, reported Al Jazeera.
Putin is accompanied by senior defence officials and executives from major Russian energy and arms firms, signalling a push to expand defence sales and diversify bilateral trade beyond oil. Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier, accounting for over a third of its defence imports. New Delhi is exploring additional purchases of the S-400 air defence system, while Moscow aims to pitch its Su-57 stealth fighter.
Yet the centrepiece of India-Russia ties — oil — is now under threat. Recent US sanctions on Russian energy giants Rosneft and Lukoil, coupled with India’s biggest refiner halting exports involving Russian crude, are expected to sharply reduce imports. Trade between the two countries, which ballooned to nearly US$69bn this year, may fall as a result.
Analysts told Al Jazeera that India hopes to maintain strategic autonomy, even as it negotiates key trade deals with the US, EU and Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union. Moscow, facing a labour shortage, is also opening its job market to Indian workers as a new area of cooperation.
Still, experts warn that India’s delicate diplomatic equilibrium will remain under strain until progress is made toward ending the Ukraine war.
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