Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to host a private dinner for Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after his arrival in New Delhi on Thursday, providing an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss key issues away from the public glare, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Putin is set to fly into the Capital on Thursday evening for a state visit that will last a little more than 24 hours, his first to India since December 2021. The two leaders will hold talks both in a restricted format and with their delegations as part of the annual India-Russia Summit on December 5, the second day of the visit.
The private dinner at the PM’s official residence is a reciprocation of a similar event organised by Putin when Modi travelled to Moscow in July last year for the annual summit, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. The setting will allow the two leaders to discuss both bilateral and global issues, they said.
On December 5, Putin will be given a ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan, before he goes to Raj Ghat to pay homage at the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. This will be followed by talks between the two leaders in a restricted format and with their delegations at Hyderabad House, the stately building used for meetings between the PM and foreign leaders.
Following the finalisation of several agreements focused on cooperation in areas such as trade, economy, agriculture and academia, the two leaders will participate in a business event jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Roscongress at Bharat Mandapam. The people said this event is crucial for ongoing efforts to diversify and broaden the trade basket between the two countries, especially at a time when trade is skewed in Russia’s favour.
{{/usCountry}}Following the finalisation of several agreements focused on cooperation in areas such as trade, economy, agriculture and academia, the two leaders will participate in a business event jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Roscongress at Bharat Mandapam. The people said this event is crucial for ongoing efforts to diversify and broaden the trade basket between the two countries, especially at a time when trade is skewed in Russia’s favour.
{{/usCountry}}While two-way trade was worth about $68 billion last year, largely on the back of purchases of Russian oil, India’s exports accounted for less than $5 billion. Ahead of the summit, officials from both sides said expanding trade and ensuring greater access for Indian goods to Russian markets will be one of the focus areas of the discussions.
After formally launching the Indian channel of Russian state broadcaster RT at an event at ITC Maurya Hotel on Friday evening, Putin will participate in a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu before departing from India.
Ahead of the visit, more signs emerged of efforts to deepen the defence and security partnership between India and Russia, such as the ratification by the Duma or Russian Parliament on Tuesday of an agreement for reciprocal provision of technical and logistical support for warships and military aircraft.
The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS), signed in Moscow in February by Indian envoy Vinay Kumar and former Russian deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin, lays out procedures for mutual visits by military personnel, warships and aircraft for joint exercises and humanitarian operations and provision of logistical support. It also simplifies procedures for port calls and reciprocal use of military infrastructure.
“This agreement is on the same lines as the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) signed with the US,” one of the people cited above said.
Russian officials have said the supply of military equipment such as the S-400 air defence system and Su-57 combat jet and small modular reactors for nuclear energy will also be on the agenda for the summit.