Putin India Visit: Private dinner with Modi, big trade push & RT Channel launch; His full schedule here
Read more: S-400s, Russian oil and RuPay-Mir deal: Will Modi-Putin summit move India closer to Moscow and away from the West?
Putin Visit to India: Private dinner sets the stage for high-level diplomacy
Putin is scheduled to arrive early on Thursday evening and directly attend a private dinner and one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Modi. The two leaders last shared a private dinner during Modi’s trip to Russia for the annual summit last year; it was a gesture seen as symbolic of the strong personal relationship between them.
Read more: India, Russia to sign 10 intergovernmental agreements and 15 trade agreements
Putin Visit to India: Full schedule for Friday
Friday is full of high-profile meetings. Putin will start the day with a visit to Rajghat and will then be welcomed with a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Official summit-level talks with Modi will be held at Hyderabad House, following which the leaders will share lunch. Later, Putin will address senior business leaders at the India-Russia Business Forum, which aims to boost bilateral investment and trade cooperation. In the evening, President Droupadi will host a banquet in Murmu’s honor. The Russian President is expected to depart around 21.30 in the evening.
Putin Visit to India: Focus on trade, economic cooperation and defense
According to Putin’s deputy Yury Ushakov, the visit will result in the adoption of a joint statement and the signing of several bilateral agreements in a wide range of sectors. One of the key documents will be the Program for the Development of Strategic Areas of Russia-India Economic Cooperation until 2030.
In 2024, bilateral trade increased by 12% to $63.6 billion, driven by major cooperation in industrial cooperation, innovative technologies, healthcare, mining, peaceful space exploration, transportation and labor migration programs. Both countries are also deepening their ties in the fields of politics and security, economy and finance, science and technology, education and culture.
Putin Visit to India: Launch of RT channel and access to business
In addition to the summit, Putin will also attend the opening ceremony of the RT TV channel in India. He will also meet industry leaders at the India-Russia Business Forum, signaling a strong move towards expanding business-to-business partnerships and long-term investment opportunities.
Putin Visit to India: Strategic partnership enters a decisive phase
Prime Minister Modi and President Putin have already held five phone calls in 2024 and met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin.
Their latest meeting is expected to strengthen trust at the highest political level and provide a major boost to multilateral cooperation at a time when global geopolitics is evolving.
The visit is expected to underline that India and Russia continue to prioritize a balanced and mutually beneficial partnership based on diplomacy, economic growth and global stability.
Inputs from TOI
