Putin to Visit India on December 4 for 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to land in New Delhi on December 4 for a tightly packed two-day official visit, the Ministry of External Affairs formally confirmed on Friday afternoon. This will be President Putin’s first bilateral journey to India since February 2020 and only his second major overseas trip since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, underscoring the exceptional durability of India–Russia ties even amid intense geopolitical turbulence.

The focal point of the visit will be the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, hosted at Hyderabad House, where President Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will engage in restricted one-on-one discussions followed by delegation-level talks involving key ministers and officials from both sides. The summit tradition, alternating annually between New Delhi and Moscow, has consistently served as the primary mechanism for steering one of the world’s most resilient strategic partnerships through decades of global upheaval.

According to the detailed MEA readout, the leaders will conduct an exhaustive review of the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, encompassing defence co-production and technology transfer, long-term energy supplies including nuclear and pipeline projects, surging trade that crossed $65 billion last year, investment commitments in the Russian Far East and Arctic, space collaboration, and enhanced people-to-people connectivity through education and tourism. Both sides are expected to unveil a visionary joint statement charting priorities for the next decade.

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Beyond bilateral matters, the summit will feature in-depth strategic consultations on critical regional and global flashpoints: the protracted Ukraine crisis and its fallout, escalating tensions in West Asia, Indo-Pacific maritime security, volatility in global energy markets, reform of multilateral institutions, and coordination within BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, G20, and the United Nations. Sources indicate the two leaders will strongly reaffirm their shared vision for a multipolar world order based on mutual respect for sovereignty and strategic autonomy.

With a substantial package of agreements reportedly finalised—including potential breakthroughs in joint manufacturing of advanced defence platforms, long-term oil and gas contracts, and new connectivity initiatives via the Chennai–Vladivostok maritime corridor—the December 4–5 summit is poised to be among the most substantive India–Russia engagements in recent memory. The visit powerfully demonstrates that, irrespective of shifting global alliances, the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between New Delhi and Moscow remains a cornerstone of both nations’ foreign policy architecture.

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