As America keeps pressuring India to refrain from buying Russian crude oil, New Delhi seems unfazed by the punitive trade tariffs and fickle warnings. It is all set to host the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in a two-day visit from Dec 4th to Dec 5th, signalling its determination to deepen ties with its long-time trade and military partner. This visit is a part of India and Russia’s 23rd Annual summit.
Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior fellow for South Asia at Chatham House, shares his views on this development and said, “New Delhi is not beholden to the whims of the Trump administration and that it maintains an independent foreign policy.”
Kremlin said last week that Putin’s visit to India if of “great importance” and the two leaders will discuss the “scope of Russia-India special and privileged strategic partnership in politics, trade and economy.” They may also sign a “wide range of bilateral interdepartmental and business agreements”, the Kremlin added.
According to officials, both leaders will work to expand bilateral ties between India and Russia in defence, strategy, and trade.
You Might Also Like: Intel Invests $208 Million in Malaysian Semiconductor Hub
As of 2025, the trade deficit between India and Russia is staggering, heavily skewed in Russia’s favour. In FY24-25, Russian trade with India stood at a staggering $67.72 billion; by contrast, India’s trade with Russia totaled just $4.88 billion. Through this visit and many such visits over the next few years, both countries aim to expand bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, with trade split evenly between the two. The two leaders will also talk about India’s acquisition of the SU-57 and the S-500.
