India-Russia ties poised for fresh impetus ahead of Putin’s visit next month

India and Russia are working to strengthen their ties, with several aspects of the relationship being discussed ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected visit to New Delhi next month. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said preparations are underway for hosting the 23rd annual summit in New Delhi, with the dates of Putin’s visit to be announced soon.

“Both countries are working hard on making this a success...We expect an improvement in ties when President Putin visits,” Jaiswal said. Putin’s visit is slated for the first week of December.

Despite threat by US President Donald Trump to widen the ambit of sanctions, India’s ties with Moscow seem poised for a fresh impetus.

The two sides would be looking to widen relations across sectors, including defence, nuclear power, commercial aviation and economy. In the run-up to Putin’s expected visit, top officials of both sides have been meeting regularly and ironing out the creases, if any.

In the past two weeks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met with Putin’s top aide and chairman of Maritime Board of Russia, Nikolai Patrushev, in New Delhi.

The upcoming Modi-Putin talks are set to focus on strengthening strategic ties while outcomes could relate to economic cooperation, commercial aviation and technology transfer, especially in military equipment.

Several bilateral agreements — across sectors — may be signed, giving a push to longstanding India-Russia ties.

India and Russia are at the cusp of deciding multiple military equipment deals. New Delhi and Moscow are looking at expanding the range of the BrahMos missiles, the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet upgrades, adding more numbers to the air defence missile S-400, and possibly making the new stealth jet Sukhoi-57E in India.

The two countries are discussing a ‘comprehensive defence agreement’, including an expanded logistics cooperation such as reciprocal access to each nation’s military bases and support facilities.

Sukhoi-57E is a Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft. A Russian delegation from Sukhoi Design Bureau recently assessed HAL’s key facilities, including the Nashik division.

Separately, last month an MoU was signed between HAL and Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAV), a sanctioned entity. The HAL-UAC partnership is to make the SJ-100 passenger jets in India.

India and Russia are expected to sign a landmark bilateral labour mobility agreement. This looks to create a structured framework for the legal migration of skilled Indian manpower to Russia, protection of workers’ rights and expansion of their employment across key sectors such as construction, textiles, engineering and electronics.

The two countries have high-level dialogues to address banking challenges, facilitate smoother financial flows and boost deeper economic partnership, including towards a free trade agreement with Eurasian Economic Union.

India faces 50 per cent tariffs, among the highest in the world, including 25 per cent levies for its purchases of Russian crude oil. India’s position as the second-largest buyer shapes energy ties with Moscow and will be a central topic during any talks, especially in the wake of tightening Western sanctions.