On November 28, India and Russia held the fourth meeting of their Working Group on Military Cooperation in Moscow. The Working Group meeting took place amid a series of developments in New Delhi-Moscow ties, including the Kremlin’s announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to India.
The past month has seen definite progress in New Delhi’s relations with Moscow, with some important announcements being made. On November 26, Russian news agency TASS reported Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s expected visit to Moscow and Kaliningrad on December 8-10, where he is likely to participate in the flag-raising ceremony of the Project 11356 frigate and its transfer to the Indian Navy. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is yet to confirm the visit.
On November 22, New Delhi and Moscow held the 22nd meeting of their Working Group on Military Technical Cooperation and Defense Industry in New Delhi. High-ranking defense officials deliberated on advancing the bilateral defense partnership including in joint research and development of military platforms.
On November 19, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov at a virtual conference organized by Sputnik Television announced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India. Although Peskov did not confirm a definite timeline for the trip, the visit is likely to take place next year as part of an established framework of annual leadership exchanges.
The Timing of the Visit
The Kremlin’s announcement of Putin’s upcoming visit to India comes amid a flurry of reciprocal high-level visits between the two sides. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already travelled to Russia twice this year, first for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in July and later for the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan in October.
Other high-level engagements in the last one year include Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov’s visit to India in November, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s visit to Russia for the BRICS national security officials meeting (September) and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (September). The uptick in reciprocal bilateral exchanges clearly demonstrate India’s strategic pivot towards Russia.
India’s active engagement with Russia goes in tandem with New Delhi’s continued outreach to Ukraine. Ukraine’s then-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited India in March 2024, while Modi visited the country in August 2024. Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the U.N. Summit of the Future in New York in September 2024 while Jaishankar met Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the Rome Mediterranean Dialogue in Italy in November 2024.
India’s approach of simultaneous engagement with both Russia and Ukraine is a testament to its pursuit of strategic autonomy that prioritizes independence and self-sufficiency, although New Delhi has not criticised Russian invasion of Ukraine yet.
Why Is Putin’s Visit to India Important?
Putin’s visit to India would mark his first trip to the country since the commencement of the Russia-Ukraine war. The Russian president had last visited India in 2021 for the India-Russia Annual Summit. During Putin’s visit, New Delhi and Moscow are likely to deliberate on a range of issues including the Russia-Ukraine war, settlement of trade in national currencies, release of remaining Indian nationals from the Russian army, Russia’s supply of the S-400 missile defense system, rail manufacturing, trade and energy cooperation. The visit also comes amid two important developments: a border pact between India and China along the Line of Actual Control and the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency.
The proposed trip of the Russian president will take place at an interesting time when the China-India-Russia dynamic is calibrating a delicate balance. That the Russian city of Kazan provided the venue for a high-level meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping – the first in five years – was a noteworthy development. While Russia claimed that it had no role to play in setting up the meeting, Russian envoy to India Denis Alipov welcomed the India-China rapprochement and termed it as a “very positive development.”
As Russia faces isolation in the global arena, it seeks to win the support of as many friends as it can. Given this background a rekindling of sorts in the China-India-Russia grouping is highly favorable for Moscow. China on its part deems Russia as a reliable partner to thwart the West and has entered into a border pact with India to be able to shift its strategic focus to Taiwan.
India at the moment is arguably uncomfortable in its ties with the United States due to issues like the indictment of Vikash Yadav, an alleged Indian intelligence officer reportedly involved in a foiled assassination plot against pro-Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the recent indictment of Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani in a multibillion-dollar bribery and fraud case. While the incoming Trump administration’s approach on these issues is not definite yet, India seeks to continue leveraging its ties with Russia to ensure energy security, defense cooperation, and strategic alignment while pursuing peace and stability at the border with China. Therefore Putin’s visit to India will be closely watched by foreign policy experts in all three countries.
The visit will also be a spectacle of Modi’s personality driven foreign policy. The camaraderie between the two leaders is evident from Putin’s playful exchange with Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan where he said, “Our relations are so tight that I thought you’d understand me without translation.” Later, on November 6, Putin addressed the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi and referred to India as a natural partner, praised the trust and cooperation in bilateral ties, and emphasized that India deserved to be included in the list of global superpowers.
Modi too while addressing the Indian diaspora in Moscow in July referred to Russia as a “trusted friend.” A photo of Modi giving a thumbs up at an informal BRICS summit dinner in Kazan with Xi and Putin went viral on social media, with the press speculating Putin served as the “glue” between India and China. Moreover, the optics of Modi’s firm handshake and his famous bear hug are likely to be on display when he hosts Putin.
Modi’s interaction with Putin must also be seen through the prism of India’s quest to gain recognition as the leader of the Global South. New Delhi engages with Moscow at multilateral forums including the G-20, BRICS, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and deems the support of Russia, a P5 member, as important in its bid to seek a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council.
With an ambitious bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030, active defense and energy cooperation, and an unmissable strategic alignment, Putin’s visit to India will be a firm demonstration of Russia’s defiance of the West and India’s foreign policy choices. New Delhi is positioning itself as “Vishwa Bandhu” – an acknowledged global leader – amid a spectacle of time-tested friendship.