Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India later this year and the dates are currently being finalised, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval confirmed this during his visit to Moscow on Thursday.
Here’s what NSA Ajit Doval said
While talking to Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, Doval said New Delhi is "excited and delighted" about the upcoming engagement. He also described the past India-Russia summits as "watershed moments" in bilateral relations, underlining the significance of the forthcoming meeting.
Ajit Doval said, “You're very rightly mentioned the Excellency that we have got a very special relationship, long relationship, and be highly value our strategic partnership. We have had high level engagements and these high level engagements have contributed very substantially. We are very excited and delighted to learn about the visit of his Excellency, the president of Russia President Putin to India. I think that the dates are almost finalised now…The more important thing is this, that is these summit meetings have always been the Watershed points.”
PM Modi, President Putin met twice last year
It should be noted that PM Modi and President Putin met twice last year - once during PM Modi's visit to Moscow in July for the 22nd India-Russia summit, which marked his first bilateral trip since beginning his third term in office. During his visit, PM Modi was conferred with Russia's highest civilian honour, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, for his contributions to strengthening India-Russia ties.
Second time, the two leaders met again in October in Kazan, when PM Modi attended the BRICS Summit.
Putin's visit to India comes amid trade tension with US
It is significant to note that Putin's visit to India comes at a sensitive time, amid escalating trade tensions between New Delhi and Washington over India's purchase of Russian oil.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports, citing India's purchases of Russian oil. The US President also threatened secondary sanctions against buyers of Russian crude unless Moscow agrees to end the war in Ukraine, now entering its fourth year, by Friday.
In the meantime, the Kremlin confirmed that President Putin is expected to meet with Trump in the coming days.
Know all about India-Russia trade ties
It is interesting to note that India and Russia share a long-standing trade relationship, with bilateral investment ties dating back to the Soviet era. The two nations over the years have strengthened their economic cooperation, with bilateral trade reaching unprecedented heights.
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