New Delhi, 4 December (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended a ceremonial welcome to Russian President Vladimir Putin at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the Prime Minister's official residence, capping an evening of protocol-defying warmth that signals deepening bilateral resolve.
Putin's two-day state visit, his first to India since 2021, centers on the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit scheduled for Friday at Hyderabad House, where Modi and Putin will conduct delegation-level talks on bolstering defence cooperation—including potential Su-57 fighter jet co-production and additional S-400 air defence batteries—while navigating US pressures over energy imports.
Key agenda items encompass energy security, with Russia offering small modular reactor technology via Rosatom; trade expansion targeting $100 billion by 2030 through rupee-ruble mechanisms and Eurasian Economic Union free trade pacts; and enhanced connectivity in space, healthcare, and transport.
The leaders' Friday itinerary features a ceremonial reception by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Putin's wreath-laying at Rajghat, a joint lunch, and Putin's address to the India-Russia Business Forum, culminating in a state banquet and over a dozen agreements on economic cooperation through 2030.
This summit reaffirms India's strategic autonomy, with bilateral trade surging to $68 billion in 2024 despite sanctions, as Moscow pledges to address New Delhi's export imbalances in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and IT.
PM Modi's private dinner at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg tonight lays the groundwork for these exchanges on global issues like Ukraine, BRICS, and multipolarity.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
