Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Russia on Monday for his first visit to the country in almost five years, and people familiar with the matter said his talks with President Vladimir Putin will focus on issues ranging from bilateral economic cooperation to the conflict in Ukraine.
The two leaders last met in September 2022 on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan, months after Russia invaded Ukraine and against the backdrop of Western sanctions that complicated the relationship between New Delhi and Moscow. It was at that meeting that Modi nudged Putin to end the conflict, declaring that “today’s era is not of war”.
On his arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo-II VIP airport, Modi was received by first deputy prime minister Denis Manturov and accorded a tri-services guard of honour. Manturov is senior to the deputy prime minister who received Chinese President Xi Jinping on a recent visit to Moscow, and he accompanied Modi from the airport to his hotel, the people cited above said.
Ahead of holding the 22nd India-Russia Summit on Tuesday, Putin hosted Modi for a private meeting and dinner at his dacha or country home in the suburb of Novo-Ogaryovo on Monday night – a rare honour reserved by the Russian president for only a handful of visiting leaders.
The people said this would be an opportunity for the two leaders, away from the public glare, to focus on more sensitive issues on the agenda, such as the Ukraine conflict and its fallout, and the repatriation of Indian nationals recruited into the Russian Army.
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The focus of the visit, the people said, is the economic agenda, including cooperation in energy, trade, manufacturing and fertilisers.
At the same time, in the context of the war in Ukraine, one of the people cited above said that the Indian side will emphasise that “a solution cannot be found on the battlefield”.
In a statement issued on his departure from New Delhi, Modi said he looked forward to “reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues”. He added: “We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region.”
The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past 10 years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, Modi said.
On Tuesday, Modi’s engagements will begin with an interaction with the Indian community. He will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin, and then visit the Rosatom pavilion at an exhibition venue in Moscow highlighting the latest advances in nuclear energy. As part of the annual summit, Modi and Putin will hold restricted discussions, which will be followed by delegation-level talks.
In a marked departure from the convention of Indian prime ministers beginning a fresh term with a visit within the neighbourhood, Modi chose Russia as the destination for his first bilateral trip in his third term, weeks after travelling to Italy for the outreach session of the G7 Summit. The move is being seen in diplomatic circles as an assertion of India’s policy of “strategic autonomy” in its foreign policy and the importance attached by New Delhi to its relations with Moscow.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar has said the annual summit, last held in 2021, will be an opportunity for Modi and Putin to hold direct talks on crucial issues such as the imbalance in two-way trade. While India and Russia had set a bilateral trade target of $30 billion by 2025, the figure ballooned to $65.7 billion in 2023-24, largely on the back of India’s purchases of discounted Russian crude after the imposition of Western sanctions and a price cap. Trade is skewed completely in Russia’s favour, with Indian exports worth less than $5 billion.
The people said the Indian side is expected to press Russia to expand and diversify its imports, and the two sides will also focus on streamlining payments in national currencies and overcoming the restrictions caused by Western sanctions on Russia’s banking system.
The early discharge of Indian nationals “misled into the service of the Russian Army” is also expected to figure in the discussions, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said. Though the exact number of Indians serving with the Russian military is not known, it is estimated to range from 30 to 45. Following the death of four Indians on the frontlines of the war with Ukraine, India sought a “verified stop” to further recruitment by the Russian Army.
However, India will continue to walk the diplomatic tightrope on the issue of Ukraine. At almost the same time that Modi and Putin will hold their summit, US President Joe Biden will host leaders of the 32 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to commemorate 75 years of the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit last month, has been invited to the meet in Washington.
From Russia, Modi will travel to Austria, becoming the first Indian premier to visit the country in more than four decades. He said he will meet President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer for discussions to take the bilateral “partnership to even greater heights in new and emerging areas of innovation, technology and sustainable development”. Modi added, “Austria is our steadfast and reliable partner and we share the ideals of democracy and pluralism.”
Modi and Nehammer will also exchange views with business leaders from both countries to explore mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities. He will also interact with the Indian community in Austria.
