1. PM Narendra Modi
PM travel to Russia for a meeting with Putin on the economy and the situation in Ukraine. They will be talking about energy, trade, and Indian resettlement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to Russia on Monday since winning the election. India is going to focus on both the Ukrainian issue and the economy. The last time the two leaders met was in September 2022, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan. At the time, the meeting took place months after Russia had invaded Ukraine and amid Western sanctions that had hampered relations between Moscow and New Delhi.
2. PM Putin
Modi advised PM Putin to end the conflict with Ukraine because this time, there was no war against any country. First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov welcomed Modi at Moscow’s Vnukovo-II VIP airport and presented him with a tri-services guard of honor. Manturov is senior to the deputy prime minister who hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping.
3. Putin sent Modi a special invitation
Putin sent Modi a special invitation to a private meeting and dinner at his dacha, or country home, in the Novo-Ogaryovo district on Monday night. This is one of the few times the Russian president has extended this kind of hospitality to a visiting leader. Putin is hosting the 22nd India-Russia Summit on Tuesday. According to the sources, this would give the two leaders a chance to focus on delicate matters out of the public eye, like the state of affairs in Ukraine and its consequences and the return of Indian nationals who joined the Russian Army. A few weeks after visiting Italy for the G7 Summit outreach event, Modi decided on Russia.
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India’s exports are worth less than $5 billion, so Russia gains a lot from the trade imbalance.
India and Russia have been closely allied since the end of the Cold War.
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