What Happened in Putin’s 2-Day India Visit?
Putin’s two-day India visit highlighted strong India–Russia relations with major agreements and new visa and consulate announcements.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was on a two-day visit to India from 4–5 December. This was his first visit since the Russia–Ukraine war began, and his last India visit was in 2021. Many important developments during this trip showed that India–Russia relations remain very strong.
Before arriving in India, Putin gave an interview to India Today. He praised PM Modi, saying that India is lucky to have a leader who “lives and breathes India.” He also said Russia wants to reduce the trade gap by buying more products from India. Putin criticised G7 countries, especially Europe, saying Europe is very close to recession. He highlighted that India is now the world’s third-largest economy and hinted that G7 is losing relevance. When asked about Donald Trump criticising India for buying oil from Russia, Putin replied that even the United States buys nuclear fuel from Russia, so India has every right to do the same.
In Delhi, hoardings welcoming Putin created buzz because they were written only in Hindi and Russian, with English completely removed. Analysts said this looked like a strong message of India–Russia friendship.
A video of Modi and Putin travelling together in a Toyota Fortuner also went viral, as world leaders usually travel in brands like Mercedes or Range Rover. Experts said this too may have been a diplomatic message.
During the press conference, Modi called Russia a “time-tested partner.” India announced two new consulates in Russia and two new visa schemes for Russian tourists. Both countries signed agreements in fertilizers, food safety, health, maritime logistics, migration and energy. Under Vision 2030, India and Russia aim to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030. Piyush Goyal described Russia as “Sukh dukh ka saathi.”
