Why Putin and Modi are meeting in Delhi

Russian President Vladimir Putin begins a two-day visit to India, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend an annual summit held by the two countries.

Delhi and Moscow are expected to sign a number of deals during the visit, which comes months after increasing US pressure on India to stop purchasing Russian oil.

This also comes at a time when the administration of US President Donald Trump is holding a series of talks with Russia and Ukraine in an attempt to end the war.

India and Russia have been close allies for decades, and Putin and Modi share a warm relationship. Here’s a look at why they need each other — and what to watch for as they meet.

Written by Steve Rosenberg

Why are relations with India essential for the Kremlin?

Well, for starters, look at the numbers:

• Its population is approximately one and a half billion.

• Economic growth exceeding 8% India is the fastest growing major economy in the world.

This makes it a very attractive market for Russian goods and resources, especially oil.

India is the third largest consumer of crude oil in the world and buys large quantities from Russia. This was not always the case. Before the Kremlin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, only 2.5% of India’s oil imports were Russian.

This number jumped to 35% as India benefited from Russian price cuts resulting from sanctions imposed on Moscow and restrictions on Russia’s access to the European market.

India was happy. Washington less so.

Earlier this year, it slapped the Trump administration 25% additional tariff on Indian goods, arguing that India, by buying oil from Russia, is helping finance the Kremlin’s war treasury. Indian orders for Russian oil have declined since then. President Putin will be keen for India to continue purchasing.

For Moscow, arms sales to India are another priority, and have been since Soviet times. Before Putin’s visit, there were reports that India was planning to purchase the latest Russian fighter jets and air defense systems.

Russia, which suffers from a labor shortage, also views India as a valuable source of skilled workers.

But there are geopolitical factors at play too.

The Kremlin enjoys showing the failure of Western efforts to isolate him over the war in Ukraine.

Traveling to India and meeting Prime Minister Modi is one way to do this.

As well as traveling to China and holding talks with Xi Jinping, as Putin did three months ago. He met Modi on the same trip. Picture of the three leaders Smiling and chatting together It sent a clear message that despite the war in Ukraine, Moscow has strong allies who support the concept of a “multipolar world.”

Russia praises its “borderless partnership” with China.

It speaks equally of its “special and distinguished strategic partnership” with India.

This is a stark contrast to Moscow’s tense relationship with the European Union.

“I think the Kremlin is sure that the West, including Europe, has completely failed,” believes Andrei Kolesnikov, columnist for Novaya Gazeta.

“We are not isolated, because we have connections with Asia and the Global South. This is the future economically. In this sense, Russia has returned as the main player in these parts of the world, like the Soviet Union. But even the Soviet Union had special channels and connections with the United States, West Germany and France. It had a multi-vector policy.

“But now we are completely isolated from Europe. This is unprecedented. Our philosophers always said that Russia is part of Europe. Now we are not. This is a major failure and a huge loss. I am sure that part of the political and business class in Russia dreams of returning to Europe and doing business not only with China and India.”

However, this week we are expected to hear about Russian-Indian friendship, trade agreements, and growing economic cooperation between Moscow and Delhi.

Written by Vikas Pandey

Putin’s visit to Delhi comes at a critical time for Modi and India’s global ambitions.

Indo-Russian relations date back to the Soviet era and have persisted regardless of the changing geopolitical landscape.

It can be said that Putin has devoted more time and energy to this relationship than other Russian leaders before him.

As for Modi, despite being under intense pressure from Western governments to criticize Russia over its war in Ukraine, he insisted that dialogue was the only way to resolve the conflict.

This was India’s “strategic independence” – Modi occupied a special place in the geopolitical order as he forged close ties with Moscow while simultaneously maintaining his relationship with the West.

This worked until Trump returned to the White House. Indo-US relations have been damaged Lowest level ever In recent months the two countries have failed to resolve the tariff impasse.

In this context, Putin’s visit is more important for Modi than ever before, because it will test India’s geopolitical independence. He will be walking the proverbial diplomatic tightrope here.

Modi wants to show Indians at home and in the wider world that he still considers Putin an ally and has not yielded to pressure from Trump, whom he earlier described as his “true friend.”

But he has also faced pressure from his allies in Europe. Just this week, the ambassadors of Germany, France and the United Kingdom in India wrote a rare letter: Joint article In one of the major newspapers, he criticizes Russia’s position on Ukraine.

Hence, Modi must ensure that strengthening Indo-Russian ties does not overshadow the ongoing trade talks with the US and his partnership with Europe.

“For India, the challenge is one of strategic balance — protecting autonomy while overcoming pressure from Washington and dependence on Moscow,” said the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank.

Another priority for Modi will be to unleash the potential of bilateral trade between India and Russia.

Analysts have often said that the economic relationship between the two powerful allies has underperformed for decades.

Their bilateral trade rose to $68.72 billion at the end of March 2025, up from just $8.1 billion in 2020. This is largely due to India’s sharp increase in its discounted Russian oil purchases. This has skewed the balance significantly in Russia’s favor, and this is something Modi wants to correct.

With Indian companies already reducing their oil purchases from Russia to avoid sanctions from Washington, the two countries will look at other areas to boost trade.

Defense is the easiest option. India’s defense imports from Russia fell to 36% between 2020 and 2024, from a peak of 72% in 2010-15 and 55% between 2015 and 2019, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

This is largely due to India’s attempt to diversify its defense portfolio and boost domestic manufacturing.

But a closer look at these numbers tells a different story. Many Indian defense platforms remain heavily dependent on Russia. Many of the Air Force’s 29 squadrons use Russian Sukhoi-30 aircraft.

The limited armed conflict between India and Pakistan in May this year demonstrated the indispensable role of Russian platforms such as S-400 air defense systems in its armed forces, but it also demonstrated weaknesses that the country urgently needs to fix.

Reports indicate that India wants to purchase the upgraded S-500 systems and the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet. Pakistan’s purchase of the Chinese-made J-35 fifth generation stealth fighter jet did not go unnoticed by Delhi, and it would like to acquire a similar aircraft as soon as possible.

But Russia is already facing shortages of vital components due to sanctions and the war in Ukraine. The deadline for the delivery of some units of the S-400 system has reportedly been postponed until 2026. Modi will seek some assurances on timelines with Putin.

Modi also wants the Russian economy to open up space for Indian products to fix the huge trade imbalance.

“Consumer-oriented and high-visibility categories remain marginal: smartphones ($75.9 million), shrimp ($75.7 million), meat ($63 million), and apparel at just $20.94 million underscore India’s limited penetration into Russia’s retail markets and electronics value chains despite geopolitical turmoil,” GTRI said.

Modi aims to put Indian goods on the Russian market, especially once the war ends and Moscow is reintegrated into the global economy.

It will seek to reduce commercial dependence on oil and defense, and aims to reach an agreement that strengthens relations with Russia and leaves room for deepening relations with the West.

The institute said, “Putin’s visit is not a return to nostalgia for Cold War diplomacy. It is a negotiation about risks, supply chains, and economic isolation. The modest outcome will secure oil and defense, while the ambitious outcome will reshape regional economies.”

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