Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin his first visit to India in four years with a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The visit is expected to reinforce the India–Russia special and privileged strategic partnership, with a strong focus on economic cooperation, regional developments and major global issues.

Focus on economic partnership and global issues

Modi is expected to reiterate India’s consistent call for an early end to the Russia–Ukraine conflict, urging a return to dialogue and diplomacy.
Putin had similarly hosted Modi for a private dinner during the latter’s visit to Russia last year for the annual bilateral summit.

According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the leaders will discuss a wide range of cooperation areas, including the upcoming Programme for the Development of Strategic Areas of Russian–Indian Economic Cooperation until 2030. He confirmed that a joint statement and several bilateral documents are expected to be signed.

Key engagements on Friday

Putin’s formal programme begins on Friday with a visit to Rajghat, followed by a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The leaders will then meet at Hyderabad House for summit-level talks.

After a working lunch with Modi, Putin will attend the India–Russia Business Forum, where discussions are expected to highlight investment opportunities and strategic collaboration in emerging sectors.

In the evening, President Droupadi Murmu will host a banquet in Putin’s honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Russian leader is scheduled to depart around 9.30 pm on Friday.

Expanding trade and strategic cooperation

Ushakov noted that bilateral trade saw a 12% increase in 2024, reaching USD 63.6 billion.
He highlighted major ongoing and future projects across:

  • industrial cooperation,
  • innovative technologies,
  • transport and logistics,
  • peaceful space exploration,
  • mining,
  • healthcare, and
  • labour migration programmes.

He added that the partnership continues to deepen across politics, security, economy, finance, education and culture.

Modi and Putin last held a bilateral meeting earlier this year at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, and spoke over phone five times in 2024, underscoring the regularity of high-level engagement.