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Vladimir Putin, sitting beside Narendra Modi at the start of talks, said he expected a “fruitful” day tackling a “a great number of documents”, including in areas of defence, technology, aircraft and space exploration, AFP reports.
“India-Russia friendship is a time-tested one that has greatly benefitted our people,” Modi wrote in a post on social media, accompanying a photograph of them grinning together inside the vehicle.
According to Indian officials involved in the preparation for the summit, the agenda includes talks on defence, energy and labor mobility, AP reports.
While India has historically maintained deep ties with Russia, critics say Putin’s visit could strain relations with the European Union and the US and might jeopardise negotiations for major trade agreements with both that are seen as critical for India’s exports.
US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50% in August, citing New Delhi’s discounted Russian oil. India has been the second biggest importer of Russian crude after China. India and the US set a target for the first tranche of a trade deal by autumn, but the deal hasn’t come through yet amid strains in relations.
India is also in the final stages of talks on a trade agreement with the EU, which sees Russia’s war in Ukraine as a major threat.
Putin’s India visit, “given the timing and geopolitical context, underscores New Delhi’s strategic tightrope walk between the West and the rest, chiefly Russia,” said Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.
“The significant change now is its desire to be a strategic partner with the US at the same time, which will be a diplomatic challenge,” he added.
The two leaders are meeting against a turbulent geopolitical backdrop, and analysts have emphasised the significance of the Russian president travelling to India, both as a symbol of the enduring relationship between the countries and as a message that neither would be cowed by US pressure amid the Ukraine war. Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Pjotr Sauer have assessed what is at stake for both countries here.
Vladimir Putin was given a cordial greeting on Thursday night at Palam air base in New Delhi. Here are some images from the welcoming ceremony.
Hello and welcome to our coverage of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s trip to Delhi for a summit with prime minister Narendra Modi.
It comes as the US is pushing for a peace deal in Ukraine that is seen as favouring Moscow but also as Washington seeks to increase pressure on India to cut back trade with Russia.
It is the first time Putin has visited India since his fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and marks another step for him on the international stage since a war that has turned Russia into a global pariah and led to restrictions on where he could go without being arrested.
The two are meeting for talks on Friday following a warm welcome on the tarmac on Thursday. Modi greeted Putin at the airport with a hug on a red carpet, before the two rode together in the same car to a private dinner – mirroring a lift that Putin gave Modi when they last met, in China in September.
On the agenda for today are defence deals – in particular sales of Russian S-400 air defence systems and the Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft – as well as energy purchases and wider economic engagement.
The visit follows very public pressure from Donald Trump on India to halt its Russian oil purchases, which culminated in a punishing additional 25% punitive US tariff on Indian imports.
We will bring you the latest as soon as we have it.