Crystal Dike
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Friday hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi for bilateral talks, with defence and trade cooperation taking centre stage amid mounting United States pressure on India to halt its purchases of Russian oil.
Putin received a red-carpet welcome with an honour guard and a 21-gun salute at the presidential palace before holding formal talks with Modi. The Russian leader is on his first visit to India since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
Key items on the agenda include big-ticket defence sales and co-production projects, energy purchases and broader economic cooperation. Speaking at the start of the talks, Putin said he expected a “fruitful” meeting that would produce agreements in defence, technology, aviation and space exploration.
Both leaders are also expected to discuss the geopolitical situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and global trade disruptions triggered by tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Modi had welcomed Putin at the airport on Thursday, where both leaders shared a warm embrace before riding together to a private dinner — recalling a similar gesture when they last met in China in September.
“India-Russia friendship is a time-tested one that has greatly benefitted our people,” Modi wrote on social media, alongside a photograph of the two leaders inside the vehicle.
Friday’s visit comes weeks after Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on most Indian products in August, citing New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil, which Washington says help fund the war in Ukraine.
Putin said he had briefed Modi on developments in Ukraine and efforts by Moscow and its partners, including the United States, toward a possible peaceful settlement. Modi, in response, reiterated that India remained “on the side of peace”.
India continues to walk a diplomatic tightrope, balancing its strategic oil imports from Russia with efforts to avoid further trade penalties from Washington.
“Balancing acts are second nature to Indian foreign policy,” former Indian envoy to Russia, Pankaj Saran, wrote in The Times of India on Friday. Ashok Malik of The Asia Group said the visit aligns with India’s diversification strategy, particularly as US tariffs strain its economy.
Putin is also scheduled to meet Indian business leaders and attend a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.
India has become one of the world’s largest buyers of Russian oil since the war began, saving billions of dollars while providing Moscow with a vital export market after sanctions restricted sales to Europe.
In an interview with India Today, Putin described Modi as “not someone who gives in to pressure” when asked about the effect of US tariffs.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia’s share of India’s arms imports fell from 76 per cent in 2009–2013 to 36 per cent in 2019–2023. Beyond defence hardware — including air defence systems, fighter jets and nuclear submarines — India is seeking greater access to the Russian market.
Bilateral trade between both countries hit $68.7 billion in 2024–2025, nearly six times pre-pandemic levels, although Indian exports accounted for just $4.88 billion of the total.