Geeta's gift, Rahul Gandhi's objection: Why is President Putin's visit important for India and Russia?

 

Geeta's gift, Rahul Gandhi's objection: Why is President Putin's visit important for India and Russia?

 

  

  

While the Indian government plans to finalize important agreements during Putin’s visit, on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition party Congress in India, has alleged that the government is not allowing the opposition to meet the Russian delegation.

He said, “It has been a tradition that whenever  a foreign leader comes to India, he also meets the opposition leader, but the current government advises them not to meet the opposition leader.”

He said, “This happens every time, whenever I go abroad or a delegation comes to India, we are told that the government has asked us not to meet you. "We also represent India, it is not just the government that represents the country, but the government does not want opposition people to meet people from outside," Rahul said.

Delhi and Moscow are expected to finalise several agreements during the visit. The development comes at a time when US pressure has increased on India to stop buying oil from Russia.

Steve Rosenberg: A Special Friendship, Trade Agreements, and Regional Politics

Why are relations with India important to Russia? You have to look at the numbers. With a population of nearly 1.5 billion and growing at an annual rate of 8 percent, India is the world's fastest-growing economy. And that's what makes it an attractive market for Russia, especially for Russian oil.

India is the world's third-largest crude oil importer, buying a large portion from Russia. But that hasn't always been the case. Before the invasion of Ukraine, India only got 2.5 percent of its oil imports from Russia. But when Russian oil became cheaper after sanctions were imposed on Moscow and access to European markets was limited, India took full advantage. India was happy with the deal, but the US wasn't.

In October, the Trump administration imposed a 25 percent additional tariff on Indian imports, citing the fact that India was financing the war in Ukraine by buying oil from Russia. India has since cut back on its purchases of Russian oil, but President Putin would like India to continue buying oil from them.

Another key priority for Moscow is for India to buy weapons from Russia, as it has done since the Soviet era. There have been reports ahead of Putin's visit that India is keen to acquire modern Russian fighter jets and air defense systems.

Vikas Pandey: A Test of Modi’s Strategic Autonomy

President Putin’s visit to India comes at a crucial time for Modi and India’s global ambitions. India-Russia relations date back to the Soviet era and have not weakened even in changing times.

But Putin has perhaps invested more time and energy in this relationship than any other former leader. As for Modi, he has been under intense pressure from Western governments to criticize Moscow over the Ukraine war, but the Modi government has maintained that dialogue is the only solution to the conflict.

This was an expression of India’s strategic autonomy as Modi maintains close ties with both the West and Russia. This remained the case until Trump returned. Tensions between the US and India increased during his second term and differences over trade tariffs have not yet been resolved.

In this context, Putin’s visit is more important than ever for Modi because it is also a test of India’s geopolitical sovereignty. Modi will want to show people that he still considers Putin a close ally and that he has not caved in to pressure from Trump, whom he once called his “true friend.”

However, Modi is also facing pressure from European allies. This week, the ambassadors of Germany, France and Britain criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a joint article in a major Indian newspaper.

Modi will try to ensure that trade talks with the United States and the alliance with Europe do not suffer because of ties with Russia.

According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a think tank, the big issue for India is the strategic balance and preserving its sovereignty between American pressure and dependence on Russia.

Modi will try to increase bilateral trade between India and Russia. Analysts believe that this economic relationship has room for improvement.

In March 2025, bilateral trade was $68.72 billion. In 2020, it was just $8 billion. The main reason for this increase was the purchase of Russian oil. But because of this, Russia was benefiting from trade, and Modi would like to change that. Now that Indian companies are reducing their oil purchases from Russia to avoid US sanctions, the two countries will have to look to other sectors for bilateral trade.

The defense sector is perhaps the easiest. India’s defense imports from Russia fell by 36 percent between 2020 and 2024. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India’s defense imports from Russia were 72 percent between 2010 and 2015 and 55 percent between 2015 and 2019.

One reason for this decline was India’s efforts to develop its defense industry and at the same time approach multiple countries for defense needs. But a closer look at these figures reveals a different story. Several of India’s defense platforms still depend on Russia. The Indian Air Force has 29 squadrons of Russian Sukhoi fighter jets.

The need for the Russian S-400 defense system became clear in the midst of the conflict with Pakistan in May this year, and India also discovered some of its own weaknesses that need to be addressed quickly.

According to reports, India wants to buy the new S-500 defense system and Su-57 fighter jets from Russia, which are being declared as fifth generation. Pakistan is buying the J-35 stealth fighter jet from China and this was noted in Delhi. Now India also wants to get a plane with similar capabilities as soon as possible.

However, due to the Ukraine war and sanctions, Russia is facing a shortage of key parts and some units of the S-400 will now probably be delivered to India with a further delay. Modi will want to get assurances on this issue in his meeting with Putin.

,Image captionModi will try to ensure that trade talks with the US and alliance with Europe are not affected due to relations with Russia.

Modi will also try to make a place for Indian products in the Russian market.

According to GTRI, India's access to Russian markets is very limited due to several sanctions on Russia. India exports $75 million worth of smartphones, about the same amount of shrimp, $65 million worth of meat and over $20 million worth of garments to Russia.

According to experts, Modi wants India to further improve its position in the Russian market. Especially when the war is over and Moscow becomes part of the global economy again.

Modi will also want India to reduce its dependence on Russia for oil and defense, and he will want an agreement that will strengthen ties with Russia and expand India’s relations with Western countries.

According to GTRI, Putin’s visit is not a return to Cold War diplomacy. Rather, it is a negotiation on supply chains and economic issues. Even a modest outcome will sustain Russia’s oil and defense industries and give a new dimension to the regional economy.”

While the Indian government plans to finalize important agreements during Putin’s visit, on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition party Congress in India, has alleged that the government is not allowing the opposition to meet the Russian delegation.

He said, “It has been a tradition that whenever a foreign leader comes to India, he also meets the opposition leader, but the current government advises them not to meet the opposition leader.”

He said, “This happens every time, whenever I go abroad or a delegation comes to India, we are told that the government has asked us not to meet you. "We also represent India, it is not just the government that represents the country, but the government does not want opposition people to meet people from outside," Rahul said.

Delhi and Moscow are expected to finalise several agreements during the visit. The development comes at a time when US pressure has increased on India to stop buying oil from Russia.

Steve Rosenb

erg: A Special Fri

endship, Trade Agreements, and Regional Politics

Why are relations with India important to Russia? You have to look at the numbers. With a population of nearly 1.5 billion and growing at an annual rate of 8 percent, India is the world's fastest-growing economy. And that's what makes it an attractive market for Russia, especially for Russian oil.

India is the world's third-largest crude oil importer, buying a large portion from Russia. But that hasn't always been the case. Before the invasion of Ukraine, India only got 2.5 percent of its oil imports from Russia. But when Russian oil became cheaper after sanctions were imposed on Moscow and access to European markets was limited, India took full advantage. India was happy with the deal, but the US wasn't.

In October, the Trump administration imposed a 25 percent additional tariff on Indian imports, citing the fact that India was financing the war in Ukraine by buying oil from Russia. India has since cut back on its purchases of Russian oil, but President Putin would like India to continue buying oil from them.

Another key priority for Moscow is for India to buy weapons from Russia, as it has done since the Soviet era. There have been rep

orts ahead of Putin's visit that India is keen to acquire modern Russian fighter jets and air defense systems.

Vikas Pandey: A Test of Modi’s Strategic Autonomy

President Putin’s visit to India comes at a crucial time for Modi and India’s global ambitions. India-Russia relations date back to the Soviet era and have not weakened even in changing times.

But Putin has perhaps invested more time and energy in this relationship than any other former leader. As for Modi, he has been under intense pressure from Western governments to criticize Moscow over the Ukraine war, but the Modi government has maintained that dialogue is the only solution to the conflict.

This was an expression of India’s strategic autonomy as Modi maintains close ties with both the West and Russia. This remained the case until Trump returned. Tensions between the US and India increased during his second term and differences over trade tariffs have not yet been resolved.

In this context, Putin’s visit is more important than ever for Modi because it is also a test of India’s geopolitical sovereignty. Modi will want to show people that he still considers Putin a close ally and that he has not caved in to pressure from Trump, whom he once called his “true friend.”

However, Modi is also facing pressure from European allies. This week, the ambassadors of Germany, France and Britain criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a joint article in a major Indian newspaper.

Modi will try to ensure that trade talks with the United States and the alliance with Europe do not suffer because of ties with Russia.

According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a think tank, the big issue for India is the strategic balance and preserving its sovereignty between American pressure and dependence on Russia.

Modi will try to increase bilateral trade between India and Russia. Analysts believe that this economic relationship has room for improvement.

In March 2025, bilateral trade was $68.72 billion. In 2020, it was just $8 billion. The main reason for this increase was the purchase of Russian oil. But because of this, Russia was benefiting from trade, and Modi would like to change that. Now that Indian companies are reducing their oil purchases from Russia to avoid US sanctions, the two countries will have to look to other sectors for bilateral trade.

The defense sector is perhaps the easiest. India’s defense imports from Russia fell by 36 percent between 2020 and 2024. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India’s defense imports from Russia were 72 percent between 2010 and 2015 and 55 percent between 2015 and 2019.

               

One reason for this decline was India’s efforts to develop its defense industry and at the same time approach multiple countries for defense needs. But a closer look at these figures reveals a different story. Several of India’s defense platforms still depend on Russia. The Indian Air Force has 29 squadrons of Russian Sukhoi fighter jets.

The need for the Russian S-400 defense system became clear in the midst of the conflict with Pakistan in May this year, and India also discovered some of its own weaknesses that need to be addressed quickly.

According to reports, India wants to buy the new S-500 defense system and Su-57 fighter jets from Russia, which are being declared as f     ifth generation. Pakistan is buying the J-35 stealth fighter jet from China and this was noted in Delhi. Now India also wants to get a plane with similar capabilities as soon as possible.

However, due to the Ukraine war and sanctions, Russia is facing a shortage of key parts and some units of the S-400 will now probably be delivered to India with a further delay. Modi will want to get assurances on this issue in his meeting with Putin                                     .

,I                                                                                                    

Modi will also try to ma

 

ke a place for Indian products in the Russian market.

According to GTRI, India's acc                                                      ess to Russian markets is very limited due to several sanctions on Russia. India exports $75 million worth of smartphones, about the same amount of shrimp, $65 million worth of meat and over $20 million worth of garments to Russia.

According to experts, Modi wants India to further improve its position in the Russian market. Especially when the war is over and Moscow becomes part of the global economy again.

Modi will also want India to reduce its dependence on Russia for oil and defense, and he will want an agreement that will strengthen ties with Russia and expand India’s relations with Western countries.

According to GTRI, Putin’s visit is not a return to Cold War diplomacy. Rather, it is a negotiation on supply chains and economic issues. Even a modest outcome will sustain Russia’s oil and defense industries and give a new dimension to the regional economy.