Russia: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has welcomed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Moscow, calling him his “dear friend” during Modi’s first visit to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, Putin embraced Modi at his home at Novo-Ogaryovo, just outside Moscow, and showed him around the residence. Official talks in the Kremlin are scheduled for Tuesday.
Putin reportedly told Modi that he was “very happy” to see him, the Russian state news agency TASS said.
Modi stated he was “looking forward to further deepening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between our nations” as he shared pictures of his arrival in Moscow on X in both Russian and English.
When Modi last visited Russia in 2019, he met with Putin at a forum held in Vladivostok, a port in the country’s far east. The leaders also met in September 2022 in Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
Despite the sanctions placed by the United States and its allies on Moscow in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which closed off most Western markets to Russian products, Russia continues to be a major supplier of cheap oil and weapons to India.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a series of extensive talks to discuss ways to deepen their bilateral ties in several areas, such as commerce, energy, and defence.
After PM Modi brought up the issue with Putin, Russia consented to release the Indian nationals who had been enlisted to participate in the war in Ukraine and to make it easier for them to come home. This was a significant diplomatic victory for India.
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