Russia: The Kremlin has announced that Narendra Modi will be visiting Russia on July 8 and 9 to meet Vladimir Putin. This will be the Indian prime minister’s first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine.
In a statement from the Kremlin, Modi and Putin would talk about “prospects for further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations, as well as relevant issues on the international and regional agenda.”
After winning reelection to a third term in June, Modi last travelled to Moscow in 2015. Since then, he has met Putin multiple times at international summits, and the two leaders have spoken over the phone frequently.
The journey on Monday is anticipated to confirm the long-standing, Cold War-era relations between the two nations. Russia continues to be one of India’s most significant economic partners, especially when it comes to defence and armaments.
India’s ministry of external affairs said that the two leaders would “review the entire range of multifaceted relations between the two countries and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest”. The summit is scheduled for 9 July.
Relations between Russia and Modi have been put to the test by his growing closeness to the US. Eric Garcetti, the US ambassador to India, stated on Thursday that his nation and India were in constant contact over cooperating to hold Russia “to account.”
The last time Putin and Modi met was during a SCO summit in Uzbekistan in September 2022. Putin visited Delhi in 2021 as well and had discussions with the Indian prime minister there.