Putin in India after 4 years, PM Modi hosts private dinner for Russian President

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warmly welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin as he kick-started a nearly 27-hour visit to India to further shore up an eight-decade bilateral partnership that remained in firm footing notwithstanding fractious geopolitical upheavals.

In reflection of the importance India attached to the Russian leader's first visit to India in four years, Modi received him at New Delhi's Palam airport with a hug amid a group of artistes performing traditional dances. Kremlin reportedly mentioned that it was surprising to see PM Modi himself being present at the airport.

From the airport, the two leaders travelled to Modi's official residence in his car, nearly three months after the prime minister rode with Putin in the Russian leader's vehicle in Chinese city of Tianjin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

"Delighted to welcome my friend, President Putin to India. Looking forward to our interactions later this evening and tomorrow. India-Russia friendship is a time tested one that has greatly benefited our people," the prime minister said on social media.

In the evening, Modi hosted a private dinner for the Russian president in a reciprocal gesture to the hospitality extended to the prime minister by Putin during his visit to Moscow in July last year. Modi's official residence was decorated with bright lights and flowers on the occasion.

The conversation between the two leaders over the dinner is expected to set the tone for the 23rd India-Russia summit talks on Friday that is expected to produce a number of tangible outcomes to further broadbase the time-tested relationship.

Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit between the two leaders that is expected to be closely watched by Western capitals.

The Russian leader's visit to New Delhi has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of rapid downturn in India-US relations.

Following the summit, the two sides are expected to seal several agreements including in areas of trade.

On Friday, Putin will be accorded a ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan, before he goes to Raj Ghat to pay homage at the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.

It will be followed by talks between the two leaders in a restricted format and with their delegations at Hyderabad House, the venue for the summit.

Modi and Putin will also attend a business event jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Roscongress at Bharat Mandapam.

In the evening, Putin will attend a state banquet to be hosted in his honour by President Droupadi Murmu. The Russian leader is expected to leave India at around 9 pm on Friday.

In the summit talks, New Delhi is expected to press for addressing the increasing trade deficit caused by India's procurement of large volumes of Russian crude oil.

The Russian president's trip to India is taking place at a time when India-US relations are going through possibly the worst phase in the last two decades after Washington imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent levies for New Delhi's procurement of Russian crude oil.

The impact of American sanctions on India's procurement of Russian crude oil is likely to be discussed at the summit. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said New Delhi's purchase of crude oil from Russia may decline for "a brief period" in view of Western sanctions, but, at the same time, he said Moscow is taking steps to enhance the supplies.

At the summit, Putin is expected to apprise Modi about the latest US efforts to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict. India has been consistently maintaining that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward to end the war.

Following the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides are expected to ink a plethora of agreements, including one on facilitating the movement of Indian workers to Russia, and another on logistical support under a broader framework of defence cooperation.

It is learnt that under the trade basket, Indian exports to Russia are expected to significantly increase in areas of pharma, agriculture, food products and consumer goods.

The move comes amid concerns in New Delhi over a ballooning trade deficit in favour of Russia.

India's annual procurement of goods and services from Russia amounts to around USD 65 billion, while Russia's imports from India stand at around USD 5 billion.

Officials said India is also looking at boosting cooperation in the fertiliser sector. Russia supplies three to four million tonnes of fertilisers to India annually.

The Indian and Russian sides are also likely to discuss New Delhi's proposed free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Ahead of the summit, the defence ministers of the two countries held wide-ranging talks on Thursday with a focus on India's plan to procure additional batches of S-400 missile systems and other critical military hardware from Russia.

The S-400 missile systems proved to be very effective during Operation Sindoor.

In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Peskov said there may be a discussion on the possibility of Russia supplying Su-57 fighter jets to India. India is in the process of procuring a batch of fifth-generation fighter jets.

Dassault Aviation's Rafale, Lockheed Martin's F-21, Boeing's F/A-18 and the Eurofighter Typhoon are the main contenders.

Ways to bolster bilateral energy ties are also expected to figure prominently in the summit.

It is learnt that Russia has offered India additional discounts for its procurement of crude oil.

The offer came after the volume of India's purchase of Russian crude oil registered a decline in the last few weeks following the latest wave of US sanctions on two Russian oil producers.

India and Russia have a mechanism under which India's prime minister and the Russian president hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of ties. So far, 22 annual summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.

The Russian president had last visited New Delhi in 2021.

In July last year, Modi travelled to Moscow for the annual summit.

Russia has been a time-tested partner for India and a key pillar of New Delhi's foreign policy.