PM Modi lands in Moscow for summit with Putin tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a formal welcome upon his arrival at the Moscow airport in Moscow, Russia, July 8, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI

In his first trip since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a two-day visit to Russia on July 8 to hold summit talks with President Vladimir Putin, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties in energy, trade and defence.

Mr Modi was met at the airport by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. The Russian First Deputy Prime Minister also accompanied the Indian prime minister to his hotel from the airport in the same car, officials said.

Mr Manturov also received Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Russia.

This is Mr Modi's first trip to Russia since 2019, the first after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 and the first in Mr Modi's third term as prime minister.

Russian President Putin is expected to host a private dinner with Mr Modi this evening ahead of talks on Tuesday at the 22nd India-Russia summit in Moscow.

“The Prime Minister is expected to hold in-depth discussions with President Vladimir Putin to advance the special partnership between the two countries. He will also interact with the Indian community in Russia,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X'.

The Indian prime minister was greeted by a guard of honour at the airport. He was greeted outside his hotel by a group of Russian artists who danced to Hindi songs.

In his farewell statement, Mr Modi said India seeks to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region.

After concluding his engagements in Russia on July 9, Mr Modi will leave for Austria, the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country in more than 40 years.

The Modi-Putin summit is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, energy and defense. The Ukraine conflict is also expected to be at the heart of the discussions.

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In a message posted on X, Mr Modi, after arriving in Moscow, said: “I have landed in Moscow. I look forward to further deepening the special and privileged strategic partnership between our nations, especially in futuristic areas of cooperation. Stronger ties between our nations will greatly benefit our people.”

“The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the last decade, particularly in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” Mr Modi said in his farewell statement.

“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing my views on various regional and global issues,” he said.

“We seek to play a supporting role for a peaceful and stable region,” he said without making specific references.

New Delhi has vigorously defended its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and maintained the momentum of these ties despite the conflict in Ukraine.

India has yet to condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine and has consistently advocated for resolving the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Prime Minister said the visit would also provide him an opportunity to meet the vibrant Indian community in Russia.

Ahead of Mr Modi's visit to Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the agenda would be “vast”.

“It is obvious that the agenda will be very full, if not overloaded. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the leaders will also be able to discuss informally,” he said.

During the talks, Mr Modi is expected to urge the Russians to end the recruitment of Indians as support personnel for the Russian military and ensure the return home of those still operating in the force.

The annual summit between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism within the framework of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The annual summits are held alternately in India and Russia.

The last summit was held on December 6, 2021 in New Delhi. President Putin had traveled to India to attend the summit.

During the summit, the two sides signed 28 memoranda of understanding and agreements, besides issuing a joint statement titled 'India-Russia Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity'.

Prime Minister Modi and President Putin held their final bilateral talks on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022.

At that meeting, Mr Modi had urged Mr Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying that “the current era is not one of war”.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Mr Modi has had several phone conversations with Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.