New Delhi: President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi for his first state visit to India since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, showcasing warming ties that have angered the US and led to hefty trade tariffs.
Putin was welcomed at the airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who embraced the Russian leader after he disembarked from his plane Thursday evening in New Delhi. The two leaders watched a group of traditional dancers on the tarmac before driving together to a private dinner hosted at Modi’s residence.
India rolled out a red carpet for the Russian president, who has defied attempts by many leading Western democracies to cast him as an international pariah. Stakes were high for Modi, who sought to assert India’s strategic autonomy after US President Donald Trump slapped tariffs of 50% on the nation’s goods to punish New Delhi for its close ties with Russia.
Modi said in a social media post Thursday he’s looking forward to his interactions with Putin. “India-Russia friendship is a time tested one that has greatly benefited our people,” he said on X.
Ahead of the trip, officials worked to finalize a deal for India to pay about $2 billion to lease a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia, Bloomberg News reported earlier Thursday, following more than a decade of talks.
“For India, this is an opportunity to underline that despite pressure from the US President Donald Trump administration, Prime Minister Modi can hold his own,” Harsh Pant, professor of international relations at King’s College, London, said.
“It shows Modi can craft a foreign policy of India based on India’s requirements, which is to have a stable and functional relationship with Russia,” he said.
Modi’s government is trying to finalize a trade deal with the US, India’s biggest export market. Trump said last month his government was close to a trade agreement, signaling a possible thaw with India.
A team of Trump administration negotiators led by Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer plans to travel to India next week to continue talks on a trade agreement, according to a US official, who did not offer further details about the visit.
Russia and India have framed the visit around trade, though energy and defense will likely dominate. India and Russia have been among each other’s top five trading partners since 2022, when India stepped up its purchases of Russian oil.
Posters of Putin were on display at major intersections in New Delhi as Russian and Indian flags flew along main streets. The two countries share long and warm relations that stretch back to the Soviet Union and Cold War.
A ceremonial welcome is planned for Putin on Friday morning, before he holds a bilateral meeting with Modi. Both leaders are then expected to address Indian and Russian executives at a business forum later Friday to encourage them to boost trade and investment.
India is seeking to gain more access to the Russian market for its exporters hit by US tariffs, with a likely agreement announced on the shipment of marine products and agricultural goods, a New Delhi official said in a background briefing this week. The two countries are also expected to finalize a mobility agreement that will allow Indian professionals to work in Russia, the official said.
Ahead of the visit, envoys to India from Germany, France and Britain criticized Putin in a joint editorial for his war on Ukraine. Modi, meanwhile, has demonstrated his close ties to Putin, hugging him when they met about three months ago at a regional security and economic summit in China.
“The visit will be heavy in optics,” said Rajorshi Roy, of Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, a government-backed think tank based in New Delhi. The discussions will likely focus on technology, economics and keeping their partnership strong, he said.
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg News Service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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